TURKI ALALSIK has spoken of some plans for more events in the 2025 season in Riyadh, including a potentially historic world heavyweight title fight.
The President of the General Administration for Entertainment has already signed a a huge card with seven fights on February 22, headlined by an undisputed light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivoli.
During his chat on DAZN’s Ariel & Ade – with co-hosts Ariel Helwani and Ade Oladipo – he touched on another possible 5v5 event in May that pits Queensberry against Matchroom. An alternative could be a 6v6 with two British promotional houses against American giants Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.
However, something else of more historical importance could come into play. This, however, is dependent on the outcome of the world heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21. If Usyk wins, there is a strong possibility that the great Ukrainian will retire from boxing. However, one of his countrymen could get a chance to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history if Tyson Fury wins.
“The result of Tyson and Usyk is waiting for a lot of people,” Alalshik explained.
“One of them is Dubois, there’s Joshua and there’s a third party. My dream is to see this fight, to give (Wladimir) Klitschko a chance – if he accepts – to come back and have a chance to be the oldest heavyweight champion ever.
Wladimir Klitschko. (Getty Images)
Wladimir Klitschko will celebrate his 49th birthdayth birthday on March 25, 2025 which is four years older than George Foreman who famously knocked out Michael Moorer on November 5, 1994 to win the WBA and IBF titles in Las Vegas. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in prison.”
No stranger to Klitschko, Fury faced the Brit in November 2015. The Ukrainian lost his unified heavyweight titles after Fury’s mind games and stunning performance overwhelmed the seemingly unstoppable champion. His last fight came nearly two years later at the age of 41 at Wembley Stadium against IBF champion Anthony Joshua. Klitschko’s last game was a gutsy one when he dropped ‘AJ’ in the sixth round, but referee David Fields later stopped him on his feet in the 11th.th.