‘A new era for boxing begins in Riyadh,’ says WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman

RIYADH: In a sport steeped in tradition, disruption rarely comes gently.

Yet the Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix has done just that – reimagining professional boxing through a groundbreaking global tournament and an unprecedented collaboration of fighters, promoters, and nations.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman described the Grand Prix – whose initial stage took place from April 17 to 20 – as “a dream come true.”

“This Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix is the first event of this magnitude ever in the history of boxing,” said Sulaiman.

“Never done before in professional boxing. Fighters from all over the world in four different categories with limited experience or years of age. It is for the talent of the future.”

Sulaiman added: “It has been such a great success, and we always expect this to be groundbreaking, because so many fighters are getting the opportunity to show their skills on this world stage here in Riyadh.”

“It is the dream come true of my father – he always wanted to have an opportunity for those who don’t have an opportunity in life.”

At the heart of this transformation is Turki Alalshikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority, whose leadership has united the boxing world in ways few thought possible.

With long-standing promotional and broadcast rivalries bridged, the sport has entered an era of collaboration and spectacle.

“Riyadh Season, with the leadership of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, has changed the boxing world in only two years,” Sulaiman explained.

“Riyadh and Jeddah have shown some of the most important fights in the last 20, 30 years – fights that were not being put together because promoters were fighting each other, networks