Turki Alalshikh and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman are planning a major shakeup in boxing next year, and they’re not holding back. Calling it “the World Cup of the sport,” they’ve unveiled the WBC Boxing Grand Prix, a tournament designed to bring an old dream into the modern ring.
“It was a dream from the 60, dream for great man, he’s passed away and not seeing that dream. But thank God his son Mauricio Sulaiman is still here and we will help him to have this dream,” Alalshikh said, teeing up Sulaiman’s big reveal.
Sulaiman took over: “We have created together the Riyadh Season, WBC boxing Grand Prix. It is basically the dream that my father had. My father passed away dreaming of making the World Cup of the sport…I am today thankful, grateful, and very enthused that this dream — thanks to the great support of (Alalshikh) and passion for boxing, a reality.”
This isn’t just a few fighters knocking gloves. “It’s going to be four weight categories,” Sulaiman said, and will feature “innovative rules…with a review system, with a new system of scoring…and a 30 second warning to make it more appealing to the end of the round.” Talk about mixing tradition with some fresh seasoning.
And the scale of this is enormous: “It’s going to be 128 fighters, no more than 26-years old, no more than 10-12 fights,” Sulaiman explained. They’ll battle through quarterfinals, semifinals, and a “grand finale” in Riyadh.
In short, they’re aiming to give boxing fans a huge, youthful tournament that honors the past, celebrates the present, and welcomes a new generation into the ring — all under a truly global spotlight.
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