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Ricky Hatton hails Turki Alalshikh's transformative impact on boxing
British boxing legend Ricky Hatton has hailed the transformative impact of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh on the sport and believes he has put the “best of the best” together in the ring.
When it comes to big-time fights, His Excellency has changed the game by bringing some of the biggest events in boxing to Saudi Arabia.
As the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, he has significantly impacted boxing by bringing major events to Riyadh, paying fighters more, and potentially reshaping the sport's structure.
Former world champion Hatton said: “I think what Turki Alalshikh has done in Saudi Arabia is good for the sport.
“A few years ago, there were so many different versions of world titles – WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO – and fighters were scared of fighting the other champions.
“The best were scared of fighting the best and you’d have any world title and they [boxers] would have 12 defences to make their money that way.
“But Turki has come in now and said ‘the best have to fight the best’ and while the fights are in Saudi Arabia, he has also staged a few at Wembley such as Daniel Dubois and AJ (Anthony Joshua).
“They were absolutely mega events so he has not just taken boxing to Saudi; he’s done it over here and in the United States as well.
“I think he’s been really good for boxing because what Mr Alalshikh is doing is making the best fight the best. That is now happening.”
Ricky Hatton was a guest speaker at an exclusive breakfast seminar at The Luxe Cinema in Leeds, hosted by Front Row Legal in partnership with Signature Concierge. The event brought together professionals from across the UK for an inspiring conversation about resilience, reinvention and life beyond the ring.
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