DAZN has reportedly agreed to acquire a controlling interest in The Ring, a move that would place the publication and its championship belts under the control of a broadcaster with a direct commercial interest in the fights it covers.
The immediate question is how The Ring would protect its editorial and rankings independence under that ownership. Its belts gain credibility from readers trusting the decisions behind them, and a broadcaster taking control would put those protections under closer scrutiny.
Tris Dixon reported the agreement on Total Boxing, citing multiple sources. Turki Alalshikh purchased the publication outright from Oscar De La Hoya in November 2024 for a reported $10 million.
“Turki sold controlling interest of The Ring magazine and belt to DAZN,” one source told Total Boxing.
Another source told Dixon the sale happened “quite a while ago.” However, a third described the process as ongoing, leaving uncertainty over whether the transaction has formally closed. Dixon reported that an agreement was believed to have been reached more than two weeks ago.
DAZN declined to confirm or deny the transaction, citing its policy on market speculation involving acquisitions, partnerships and rights deals.
For boxing readers, the ownership percentage is only part of the story. The more useful questions concern who appoints the editors, who oversees the rankings panel and whether either group can make decisions that work against DAZN’s commercial interests.
A broadcaster could benefit from promoting a fight involving a Ring champion. That does not establish interference, but it makes clear editorial safeguards necessary for readers to judge the publication’s independence.
Alalshikh promised a fully independent magazine when he announced his purchase in 2024. Any new controlling owner would face the same expectation.
The report concerns The Ring’s ownership. It provides no basis for concluding that Alalshikh is leaving Zuffa Boxing or withdrawing from boxing promotion.