Has Boxing Financially Benefited from Turki Alalshikh? Riyadh Season’s Earnings & Expenses

Only two weeks separate fans from what many call the greatest showdown since Floyd Mayweather fought Manny Pacquiao –  the Canelo-Crawford fight. The flood of videos, debates, and op-eds on the September 13 clash at Allegiant Stadium is staggering. Yet away from that spotlight, as two of the best pound-for-pound fighters battle for the undisputed super middleweight title, another card is stirring diehards. On November 22, David Benavidez faces Anthony Yarde in a rare spectacle featuring five world titles on the line. These two events stand out as the most anticipated shows of the year.

Riyadh Season has been the driving force behind this wave. From the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol rematch to Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn and the ‘Fatal Fury‘ series, it has staged the sport’s biggest, most lucrative events. In 2024, the Saudi Arabia-based festival, backed by the General Entertainment Authority, hosted a string of fight nights that lit up the sporting world. Under Turki Alalshikh‘s leadership, it now even hints at scrapping pay-per-view for future shows, adding intrigue to its model. So how does one organizer stage so many blockbusters and fuel talk of what some have called a ‘Saudi boxing takeover’?

Round 1: Riyadh Season steps into the ring

Before looking at its role in boxing, it helps to understand what Riyadh Season is and what it aims to achieve. Riyadh Season is an event series run by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA). It’s a key part of Vision 2030. Launched in 2016, the vision seeks to drive economic, cultural, and social diversification.

Held each year between October and March, Riyadh Season hosts concerts, music festivals, and, most notably, major sporting events. These range from soccer to combat sports, including Power Slap. By staging such large-scale shows, the organizers have reportedly fueled a surge of tourists and visitors to Saudi Arabia.

Reports show Riyadh Season launched its first edition in 2019. But Saudi Arabia tested boxing earlier. On September 18, 2018, the city of Jeddah hosted a World Boxing Super Series final between George Groves and Callum Smith.

A year later, on December 7, 2019, Diriyah Season, an offshoot of Riyadh Season, staged the much-anticipated Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz rematch. Three years later, on August 20, 2022, Oleksandr Usyk defended his title against Joshua in another major Saudi event.

Riyadh Season’s true entry into boxing came on October 28, 2023. That night, under Turki Alalshikh’s leadership, the festival delivered Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou in a landmark crossover fight.

Round 2: Riyadh’s superfights

What followed was a string of events that shook the sports world. Fans no longer looked only to Las Vegas or Wembley for the biggest fights. They now had another stage to reckon with.

In 2024, the 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena opened and quickly became boxing’s new home. It hosted the undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Later that year, the first four-belt light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol unfolded before the year ended with the Fury-Usyk rematch.

Beyond Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Season delivered high-octane action, including Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua at Wembley. Yet momentum kept shifting back to Riyadh. The November 22 card now looks set to cap the year and confirm Saudi Arabia as the sport’s new epicenter.

At a time when many believed boxing was in decline, Riyadh Season breathed new life into the sport.

When the bell rings, the money flows

Still, questions remain: how does one promoter continue staging such spectacles, with mind-boggling purses and productions that leave fighters and fans in awe? Still, before we get into the nitty-gritty, it helps to see how top-tier boxers have benefited from Riyadh Season’s arrival.

Huge paydays for elite boxers are nothing new. The record-setting purses of Mayweather and Pacquiao remain untouched. Million-dollar fights were common even in the 1970s and 80s. Though dominated by NBA players, Forbes’ 2025 list of the 50 highest-paid athletes still ranks Tyson Fury at No. 3, with Usyk and Canelo also representing boxing.

What has changed is the scale. Payouts surged to unprecedented levels once Riyadh Season entered the scene. Champions like Fury and Usyk began earning sums never seen before. What’s more, even second-tier stars started collecting purses once reserved only for legends.

The largest expense for Riyadh Season is fighter pa