His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is seen in attendance during the UFC Fight Night event at Kingdom Arena
(Image: (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images))

What is Riyadh Season? Turki Alalshikh partnership with Anthony Joshua ahead of Wembley fight

by · Manchester Evening News

Turki Alalshikh is the man behind some of the biggest fights that have been made over the past couple of years.

Turki Alalshikh, often referred to as His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, is one of the most important and influential figures in Saudi Arabia. He is the current Chairman of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF).

However, a lot of those big fights in recent years have taken place during Riyadh Season. And below is everything you need to know about the festival ahead of Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois.

What is Riyadh Season?

Riyadh Season is a seasonal event and it’s scheduled during winter. It was first introduced in 2019 and consists of a range of entertainment, cultural, and sporting spectacles.

This year it officially starts on October 12 and runs between October and March. Riyadh Season in the past year has hosted a string of world-class events.

However, the most high-profile event it has hosted was the first undisputed heavyweight title fight of the 21st century between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury earlier this year. As well as boxing, WWE, snooker and UFC events have also taken place during Riyadh Season.

What Turki Alalshikh has said about Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury?

Speaking to talkSPORT earlier this month, Turki Alalshikh revealed he will push for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. He said: "For the business, of course, it will be a huge fight if Joshua wins.

"His third time [winning] a world title and [after] the result of Usyk vs Fury it will be a huge fight. But you don't know about the future. Imagine Tyson after the fight with Usyk wants to retire.

"I will give him the offer, but if he refuses, what can I do? First of all, Dubois has a very big chance and it is not easy. I think it is a difficult fight for Joshua and a dangerous fight for Joshua.

"If Usyk wins, still I want to see Fury vs Joshua if they accept. I will not try to do the third fight [between Usyk and Joshua] before having Fury vs Joshua. I think Joshua will win [against Dubois] but you don't know.

"I picked Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and he lost. This is boxing, especially the heavyweights. But I want to see Fury vs Joshua and the world wants to see Fury vs Joshua."

How to watch Joshua vs Dubois?

The fight will be broadcast live in the UK across a number of different platforms. DAZN pay-per-view is available for £19.99, with new customers who sign up for a DAZN monthly subscription alongside their PPV purchase getting a seven-day free trial here.

Sky Sports have priced the fight at £19.95 for Sky Customers before midnight on Friday, September 20. After then, £19.95 will be the price across all 'self-service' bookings (remote control/online) or £24.95 if booked via the phone.

TNT Sports Box Office will also broadcast the fight. It will be available on discovery+, EE TV and Prime Video. It is priced at £19.99. Discovery+ customers can purchase the fight, while EE TV customers can do so via their set-top box on channel 494.

Prime Video viewers can find the event in the 'Live and upcoming events' row on the Prime Video homepage and sports page.