Turki Alalshikh announced a groundbreaking boxing project on May 6, 2024, aimed at revolutionizing how fighters are ranked. This initiative calls for the establishment of an independent entity to accurately and transparently rank boxers. Alalshikh's proposal targets the current ranking system's flaws, which he believes suffer from personal opinions and inaccuracies.
Alalshikh voiced his concerns through a message posted on X, where he criticized the existing pound-for-pound rankings as being unreliable. He referenced the disparities in rankings between Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford as an example. He stated,
"[Naoya] Inoue is a great boxer, but [Terrence] Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one. I don’t know how the ranking works or if there’s a clear criteria, but it seems like there are some personal opinions and inaccuracies involved. I believe that boxing needs one entity to evaluate with transparency and credibility. Soon, I will support a project for that matter…!"
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has become a central hub for major boxing events thanks largely to Alalshikh's efforts. He has previously hosted significant matches featuring well-known fighters such as Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and Francis Ngannou. An epic night of heavyweight boxing in December saw participants like Anthony Joshua taking on Deontay Wilder amongst others.
Inoue is a great boxer, but Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one. I don’t know how the ranking works or if there’s a clear criteria, but it seems like there are some personal opinions and inaccuracies involved.
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) May 6, 2024
I believe that boxing needs one entity to evaluate with… pic.twitter.com/rwOkkUlpEc
Looking ahead, notable upcoming fights include Tyson Fury’s undisputed match against Usyk on May 18 in Saudi Arabia and Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov for the WBA junior middleweight title on August 3 in Los Angeles.
