Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and perhaps the most powerful man in boxing, has been named the WBC’s Man of the Year.
Alalshikh’s entrance into the sport has undoubtedly boosted interest, fight purses and the competition on super cards. In 2024, he put together undisputed contests at heavyweight and light-heavyweight, allowing Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev to claim all four belts in their divisions by beating Tyson Fury and Dmitry Bivol respectively.
As such, the WBC saw fit to name Alalshikh 2024’s Man of the Year at its convention in Hamburg, Germany this week, an honour that has been awarded to Ronald Reagan, Pope Francis and Nelson Mandela in the past.
During his speech, the 43-year-old singled out one Wladimir Klitschko in the crowd.
“I see Klitschko is here from [his] great country, and I want to ask him a favour. We want to see you one more time in the ring trying to get the chance to have the world championship belt again.
“Let’s see the result of Tyson and Usyk, let’s see the result of Dubois [and Parker]. And I ask the WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO to give you a chance to get this dream. We can support this.”
Klitschko – who dominated the heavyweight division with his brother Vitali between 2004 and 2015 – has been retired since 2017, though his name has recently been linked with top fighters.
The 48-year-old from Ukraine was reportedly in early talks to face new IBF Champion Daniel Dubois in early 2025 before the Brit’s team instead opted for a defence against Joseph Parker.
Wlad, who has always expressed an interest in beating George Foreman’s record at 45-years-old as the division’s oldest champion, smiled as the plans were laid out.
