{"id":6285,"date":"2025-07-18T10:13:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T09:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6285"},"modified":"2025-07-18T16:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T15:41:10","slug":"turki-al-sheikh-sparks-a-boxing-revolution-riyadh-season-fights-to-be-free-on-dazn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/turki-al-sheikh-sparks-a-boxing-revolution-riyadh-season-fights-to-be-free-on-dazn\/","title":{"rendered":"Turki Al-Sheikh Sparks a Boxing Revolution: Riyadh Season Fights to Be Free on DAZN"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4348\" data-end=\"4729\">In what\u2019s being called a historic and unprecedented move in the world of boxing, Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia\u2019s General Entertainment Authority, has announced the cancellation of the pay-per-view (PPV) model for all \u201cThe Ring\u201d and Riyadh Season events on DAZN.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4348\" data-end=\"4729\">Starting this November, DAZN subscribers will be able to watch major fights free of any additional charges.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4731\" data-end=\"4763\">A Game-Changing Announcement<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4765\" data-end=\"5010\">The news was revealed via Turki Al-Sheikh\u2019s official account on X, where he explained that the move is part of a broader vision to \u201cbring boxing back to its fans\u201d and \u201cbreak financial barriers that kept the sport from reaching global audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Great meeting with my brother Shay, CEO of DAZN. We have big vision to grow boxing and decide: No More Pay-Per-View. Starting with our <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ringmagazine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ringmagazine<\/a> show in November, all Riyadh Season &amp; The Ring events will be free to DAZN subscribers. The PPV model has damaged boxing, and we\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/txF1VMQaXA\">pic.twitter.com\/txF1VMQaXA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Turki_alalshikh\/status\/1945573428582650255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5012\" data-end=\"5232\">This change will include high-profile fights such as the highly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois on Saturday, July 19, and the blockbuster showdown between Canelo \u00c1lvarez and Terence Crawford.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5234\" data-end=\"5288\">From Pay-Per-View to Subscription: A Radical Shift<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5290\" data-end=\"5565\">Traditionally, boxing\u2014especially in the U.S.\u2014has relied heavily on the PPV model, where fans often paid up to $90 to watch a single fight. With this new approach, a monthly DAZN subscription is enough to access all top-tier events, including the most popular global matchups.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4603\" data-end=\"4651\">The Shift Begins with The Ring 4 in November<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4653\" data-end=\"4889\">The new policy will kick off with <em data-start=\"4687\" data-end=\"4699\">The Ring 4<\/em>, set for <strong data-start=\"4709\" data-end=\"4734\">November 22 in Riyadh<\/strong>, which will be available at no extra cost for all DAZN subscribers. The move aims to prioritize fans and expand viewership by removing financial barriers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_56605\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DH2UG4MMR7k?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4891\" data-end=\"5105\">Still, DAZN confirmed that some already-scheduled PPV events\u2014such as the <strong data-start=\"4964\" data-end=\"4983\">Usyk vs. Dubois<\/strong> rematch (priced at \u00a324.99), and the <strong data-start=\"5020\" data-end=\"5040\">Whyte vs. Itauma<\/strong> bout on August 16 (\u00a315.99)\u2014will remain under the previous terms.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5567\" data-end=\"5603\">A Saudi Vision with Global Reach<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5605\" data-end=\"5784\">Analysts see this as a strategic pivot. After hosting some of the biggest fights in recent years, Saudi Arabia now seeks to reshape the economic foundation of professional boxing.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5786\" data-end=\"5813\">What\u2019s Next for Boxing?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5815\" data-end=\"5936\">While fans cheer the decision, major media outlets like ESPN and Showtime are watching closely.<br data-start=\"5910\" data-end=\"5913\" \/>Key questions emerge:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5937\" data-end=\"6102\">\n<li data-start=\"5937\" data-end=\"5972\">\n<p data-start=\"5939\" data-end=\"5972\">Is this the end of the PPV era?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5973\" data-end=\"6025\">\n<p data-start=\"5975\" data-end=\"6025\">Will other combat sports, like UFC, follow suit?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6026\" data-end=\"6102\">\n<p data-start=\"6028\" data-end=\"6102\">What will the long-term impact be on fighter revenues and promoter models?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6104\" data-end=\"6233\">One thing is clear: Turki Al-Sheikh has opened the door to a major transformation in the boxing world\u2026 and the world is watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In what\u2019s being called a historic and unprecedented move in the world of boxing, Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia\u2019s General Entertainment Authority, has announced the cancellation of the pay-per-view (PPV) model for all \u201cThe Ring\u201d and Riyadh Season events on DAZN. Starting this November, DAZN subscribers will be able to watch major fights free [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxe","8":"category-boxing-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6287,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285\/revisions\/6287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}