Tim Bradley Urges Saudis To Make A Boxing Authority

Tim Bradley has called on the Saudis to create a unified boxing governing authority.
The sport has been criticized for not having a single union responsible for creating a standard set of rules. It is currently governed by a combination of the WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF. While the IBO is an organization, it does not have the most pulling power. The Saudis recently acquired the Ring Magazine, which also has the best belt in the division. It is widely recognized as being held by the best fighters in the weight class. That has fuelled speculation that it could be used as a governing body in the future. Reports indicate that the Saudis want to create a boxing league.
There have been suggestions that they could buy a stake in Gold Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing and Queensbury Promotions. There are also reports that the UFC is considering teaming up with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a boxing League. This would be done with a view to creating a centralized body, much like the UFC. This has the benefit that fighters remain active, earning regular paydays, ensure boxers face the best, and avoiding conflicts with promoters.
It also sets clear ground rules for any mandatories that would take place. The disadvantage is that boxing could move away from the mecca that has been established in the United States and the UK. But if it results in fans seeing the best face each other, that could be a sacrifice worth taking. Bradley has called on the Saudis to make those moves, saying he would back them.
Bradley Reacts
“Why don’t you help us build a union so the fighters can stand strong and get their promoter or whatever. Why don’t you give us a World Boxing Council, someone that looks over the entire [sport]? I know we’ve got the WBC, but you know what I mean. Someone to oversee like the NFL [i.e., Commissioner for management of the sport, appointed by the teams in the league] and the NBA [commissioner, similar to the NFL, appointed by teams]. [And] you can have the headquarters in America, and you can have the headquarters over there [Saudi Arabia], and they can all work together to bring boxing back together the right way.
“You do stuff like that, then you get my attention. You do stuff like that, then I get behind you. I’ll get behind you, Turki, for real, because that’s what boxing really needs. When you’re gone, Turki, when you decide to go, we’re going to be back to square one. You made some great fights [e.g., Fury vs. Usyk & Beterbiev vs. Bivol], but boxing hasn’t changed a thing. You haven’t changed [anything]. So, my boxing viewpoint is different from y’all viewpoint. Y’all getting the fights that you want, which is great. It’s fantastic, but that’s not going to solve all the issues that boxing has. We need one governing body overlooking the entire sport,” Bradley said
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