Turki Alalshikh is renowned for making fights in the ring, but a new battle is brewing for him in the courtroom. Earlier reports confirmed that Frank Warren was mulling legal action against the Riyadh Season figurehead. But as it increasingly appears, Don King has beaten the English promoter to the punch. The legendary boxing promoter has filed a lawsuit against Alalshikh’s Ring Magazine. Yet his complaint isn’t restricted to the century-old publication alone. King’s complaint, over the scrapped Michael Hunter-Jarrell Miller fight, extends to the heavyweight contender, SELA(the Saudi-backed events group chaired by Turki Alalshikh), and even the WBA.

“Multiple players within boxing induced and colluded with each other to misrepresent the rights and contract between Don King and his fighter,” Don King’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, told BoxingScene. “This action arises from a coordinated, knowing campaign by the WBA and the promoter defendants to undermine and misappropriate DKP’s exclusive rights to promote Hunter, a professional prize fighter under contract with DKP.”

“The WBA and the promoter defendants knew DKP held exclusive rights, yet they proceeded to organize, facilitate, and market a competing event featuring Hunter, intentionally inducing Hunter to breach and/or circumvent DKP’s exclusive rights. DKP seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief prohibiting the promoter defendants from continuing to induce Hunter’s participation in other boxing events and from further interfering with DKP’s contractual and promotional rights, as well as compensatory damages resulting from defendants’ misconduct.”

To set the context, the issue dates back to the events that unfolded around the September 13 clash between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. An earlier plan featured Michael Hunter facing Jarrell Miller in an event leading up to the mega showdown on September 13. Hunter was under a promotional contract with King’s Promotions.

Miller and Hunter agreed to fight on September 11 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. But Don King quickly stepped in and, barely a month ahead of the bout, tried to block it, saying Hunter was still under contract with his company. The heavyweight contender responded by claiming he was a free agent because DKP had failed to meet contractual obligations, which he says ended their agreement.

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With the legal dispute unresolved, the fight fell apart, and the WBA later ruled that Hunter was no longer the mandatory challenger because of the promotional complications.

Don King goes on the offensive

According to the 94-year-old promoter and his team, the fallout hurt his interests. Titled “The Ring Presents the Underdog,” the September 11 event, promoted by a Southern California promoter, reportedly derailed their plans to organize a fight between Michael Hunter and then-WBA titleholder (regular) Kubrat Pulev, who later ceded the belt to Murat Gassiev.

Organizers positioned the September 11 Hunter-Miller fight as a lead-in event to the September 13 Canelo-Crawford mega card. It was part of the broader promotion surrounding that weekend in Las Vegas. Because it formed part of that high-profile launch event involving TKO, Sela, and Ring Magazine (owned by Turki Alalshikh), King felt it wasn’t just a random fight.

King alleged that multiple parties knowingly interfered with his rights and induced Hunter to breach his contract, constituting tortious interference. He sought a court order to block Hunter from participating in other events and asked for financial damages.

The legal action comes in the wake of measures taken by Frank Warren-led Queensberry Promotions, which is reportedly seeking $1 billion in damages.

“I’ll let the Warren lawsuit speak for itself,” Don King’s lawyer said. “In the Hunter case, we are trying to resolve issues to enforce our rights and get him to participate in Don’s events. Don King is 94, and I believe the individuals in this lawsuit understood that and are trying to take advantage of that and take over and usurp the business of Don King, giving license to others to do the same. We’re simply not going to let that happen.”