Tszyu rejects Saudi boss’ global boxing takeover

Tim Tszyu says he only has eyes for the road map he and his team have created as rumblings suggest a new boxing league headed by Saudi official Turki Alalshikh is slowly building steam in the sport.
As Tszyu prepares for a chance to emulate his legendary father as a multiple world champion when he takes on undefeated Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF super-welterweight belt in Florida next month, Alalshikh is rumoured to be working on a boxing league with the UFC’s parent company TKO, which owns wrestling behemoth WWE and the MMA giant.
The UFC and Alalshikh are already in business together, with Riyadh Season sponsoring UFC 306 to the tune of a reported $30 million.
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Alalshikh has shaken up the sport recently having brought rival promoters in the UK and the US together, and all signs point to the creation of a boxing league that pits the biggest names in the sport against one another.
A World Boxing News report states that Saudi Arabia hopes to make the concept a reality in 2025.
Speaking to the publication last week in the world’s fight capital, Nevada, UFC boss Dana White could not keep the smile off his face when asked if the UFC could help Alalshikh with the creation of the proposed boxing league, under the TKO Group.
“Anything is possible,” he said.
Alalshikh has been unapologetic in his attempt to create a unified platform to deliver a more compelling product to fans. But he has bumped heads with some big-hitters along the way, namely Canelo Alvarez, the biggest earner in the sport, in his attempt to get the Mexican champion to fight fellow Mexican David Benavidez.
He also took a swipe of sorts at Tszyu and his handlers last month, telling Fight Hype, “I will not work with Tim Tszyu. Let him do it his way. He doesn’t understand.”
Turki Alalshikh Getty
Speaking to Wide World of Sports from Las Vegas, Tszyu said he has “no problem” with the Saudi fixer, but he and his team have chosen to take a different path to become a two-time world champion.
“I’ve got no problem with him but my promoters are No Limit and PBC,” Tszyu said. “These are the two promoters that are putting everything into me. I don’t know what happened between our teams.
“We’ve created a plan or little road map to where we’re going. That’s what we’re doing. We’re not allowing other parties to interfere.”
However, Tszyu says once he attains the IBF belt and “an opportunity presents itself where there’s a great opportunity to make a great amount of money or a legacy type fight, I’m all for it.”
But as for the new boxing league, Tszyu is less pragmatic. The details involving the new league are scarce but it’s said Alalshikh’s proposal could potentially reduce the number of belts and streamline the championship process.
Alalshikh with Dana White. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
But with the rumoured inclusion of the UFC, fighters are extremely wary of signing up for a league which could dramatically reduce their bargaining power.
The UFC has long been accused by fighters in their promotion of not paying athletes enough to put their bodies on the line, which has helped it become a $16 billion company. Dana White and the Fertita brothers bought it for a cool $USD 2 million back in 2001. TKO itself is worth over $30 billion.
Styling the new boxing league like the UFC may spook big name fighters, who are used to banking on their own names when they step into the ring.
On top of that, Alalshikh would need to negotiate with various promotional companies, ensure fair competition and navigate potential regulatory hurdles, before he can even stage a fight.
Tszyu told WWOS, Alalshikh is “doing good” for the sport but boxing can’t be controlled by a single entity.
Bakram Murtazaliev. dpa/picture alliance via Getty I
“He’s trying to make the biggest fights happen that’s a great thing. But boxing is such a big sport it can’t be dominated by one person,” he said.
“There are multiple parties involved and its been like that for years and years now.
“The only thing about that proposition is the only people that are going to suffer are the fighters.
“When it’s a monopoly you get what you’re given. While right now, for example Canelo can dictate what he wants to get paid because he’s the man. It wouldn’t be like that under one promotion.”
As for his bout with Murtazaliev, Tszyu said he’s been put through his paces during his camp in Las Vegas. The focus is on himself he confirmed, saying he has not even watched film of the Russian.
“I haven’t really watched much of him. I don’t really watch my opponents anyway,” Tszyu said.
“He’s rangy, tall and has an Eastern European style. That always presents challenges.”