Major Saudi boxing player Turki Alalshikh returns Ring Magazine to print

Major player in the boxing world Turki Alalshikh will return the Ring Magazine to print after acquiring the boxing publication.

The Saudi official has been the face behind the Riyadh Season era of boxing that has taken over the sport.

The Ring – or the “Bible of Boxing” – ceased regular publication at the end of 2022, after 100 years of printing, and went digital only. It was purchased 17 years ago by promoter and former boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

The publication has its own world championship, The Ring championship belt, with classes held by the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, Jai Opetaia, Artur Beterbiev, Canelo Álvarez, Teofimo Lopez, Naoya Inoue and Jesse Rodriguez.

The Ring ‘independent’

In a statement released on Monday Alalshikh said: “Earlier this week, I finalised a deal to acquire 100 per cent of The Ring Magazine, and I want to make a few things clear.

“The print version of the magazine will return immediately after a two year hiatus, and it will be available in the US and UK markets. The magazine will be fully independent, with brilliant writers and focusing on every aspect in the sport of boxing.

“We will restore the legacy of The Ring Rankings to its old mechanism with a fully independent panel that lives up to the Ring Magazine’s golden era. We will continue to raise the prestige of The Ring Titles, and plans are already underway to have a yearly extravagant awards ceremony to celebrate the very best in the boxing industry.

“In the coming weeks, we intend to debut a brand new state of the art website and mobile app. We are already in development for a line of Ring Magazine merchandise. The Ring Magazine will be a fully independent company without any involvement from Riyadh Season. In the end, let’s get the Bible of Boxing to heights that it has never seen in the past.”

Some have suggested the move by Alalshikh could be an attempt to control The Ring’s divisional rankings lists.