TKO Group partners with Saudis to form new boxing promotion - ESPN

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, on Wednesday announced the creation of a new boxing promotion alongside TKO — the conglomerate that comprises the UFC and WWE — with executive leadership anchored by UFC president Dana White and WWE president Nick Khan.

While a name for the new venture was not disclosed, the promotion did announce a plan to stage its first boxing event in 2026 and include a «highly structured system to develop new talent from around the world, including athlete combines and academies.»

Boxers will have access to the state-of-the-art UFC Performance Institute, with locations in Las Vegas, Mexico City and Shanghai. And it will be TKO's production and media team that will handle in-arena experience and worldwide broadcasts.

«This landmark partnership between industry powerhouses sets the stage for an unparalleled experience for boxers and fans,» Alalshikh said. «Together, we are developing the next generation of talent and delivering world-class events at a time when the sport is primer for further disruption.»

The new venture is just the latest in Saudi Arabia's massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Alalshikh and Sela, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, have staged boxing's top events since October 2023 with Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou. He eschewed the typical boxing undercards with stacked slates of competitive fights on his Riyadh Season cards that mostly take place in Saudi Arabia's capital, but also in Los Angeles and London.

He purchased The Ring in November — a boxing publication that debuted in 1922 — and will stage his first card under that banner on May 2 in Times Square with stars Ryan