Hooked: Riyadh boxing exhibition shows sport’s growth

RIYADH: Boxing in Saudi Arabia continues to raise its profile, with an international exhibition featuring several international fighters showcasing the sport’s potential in the Kingdom.

The “Beasts of the Middle East” event took place at Riyadh’s Radisson Blu Airport Hotel on July 29, bringing in boxers from around the region, with 11 female and male amateurs — as well as six male professionals — taking part in the exhibition bouts.

“Beasts of the Middle East” was supported by Princess Nouf bint Mohammed Al-Saud and TKO Fighters in the Al-Wadi suburb of Riyadh.

The exhibition is the latest event held by the gym and its American founder, coach Lee Starks.

In 2021, Starks established TKO Fighters as the first ever women’s boxing team in Saudi Arabia, starting with just four young female fighters. Since then, more and more women, and men, have embraced the sport across the Kingdom.

“I would like to support Saudi women in all sports. Without the help of the crown prince and the Ministry of Sport, this would not have been possible. I hope we can make every Saudi man and woman proud with this great goal,” Princess Nouf said.

These initiatives provide a platform for the Kingdom’s youth to empower themselves and improve their skills alongside international competitors, and showing their support among the show’s over 100 attendees were President Abdullah Alharbi and Vice President Rasha Alkhamis of the Saudi Boxing Federation.

Extra safety precautions were taken for the fights involving the amateur boxers, who took part in match-ups made up of three rounds, each lasting a minute. Meanwhile, the main events involving the professionals saw fights between four to six rounds.

The bouts were for exhibition purposes only, with