To Oscar De La Hoya, the DAZN’s reported move to buy a stake in Ring Magazine could be a pointless move. Turki Alalshikh and his team had already turned the century-old magazine, widely known as the “Bible of Boxing,” into a money pit lacking any integrity, he contends.

“Turki is trying to sell the Ring magazine two years after he bought it for me,” De La Hoya said. “It’s a dead asset. They stripped it of its credibility and made it purely biased propaganda, with Max Kellerman sucking it off every chance he got.

“But it signals to the boxing world that Turki’s finished with boxing. And he even said it himself that he would be stepping back after the Fury-Joshua fight.

“I mean, thank God, because boxing is more f**ked up than ever,” he added. “It’s harder to make fights. The big names are idle. They don’t want to fight each other. Not because they’re scared, but because they’re waiting for that big payday. Anyhow, I hope whoever purchases The Ring magazine next restores its integrity, the rules, the rankings, the honor, and its history that it used to stand for.”

De La Hoya’s comments stem from reports, first revealed by well-known boxing journalist and author Tris Dixon’s Total Boxing, suggesting that DAZN has decided to obtain a controlling stake in the Ring Magazine and its titles.

What adds another layer to the development is Turki Alalshikh’s comments at the AJ-Fury press conference, where the Riyadh Season head suggested that he may not stick around boxing for long.

“I will not be here long,” Alalshikh said. “I don’t know if I’ll remember this in two years. My health in the last four months is not good … I want to deliver this (Joshua-Fury) fight.”

Back in June, the Saudi power broker dropped hints about his failing health. As the ongoing promotional dispute over the AJ-Fury fight between Dana White and Eddie Hearn heated up, Alalshikh expressed hopes of bringing the two opposing sides to an understanding that benefits everyone, especially the fans.

“I want to do it before losing my memory,” Alalshikh said. “I’m afraid in 2028 or 2029 I’ll forget my name.”

While details have been limited, reports about his illness have been circulating on social media. In April 2025, a report from The Athletic suggested that Alalshikh had been suffering from cancer, including a tumor inside his brain, since 2015.

Following treatments in New York in 2018-19, he appears to have undergone surgery in 2020 to remove the tumor. However, during an interview in 2024, Alalshikh revealed that one of the surgeries resulted in him bleeding for fifty days while also suffering from inflammation.

Yet, despite the lingering issue, Alalshikh stepped up on his role as boxing’s most powerful voice. His presence resulted in some of the biggest fights of the era, including the two Fury-Usyk bouts and the Terence Crawford-Canelo showdown.

One of the most defining moves he made, which seemingly cemented his place as the sport’s most influential figure, came in November 2024 when he finally acquired the Ring Magazine from De La Hoya for $10 million.

The Ring’s journey from Oscar De La Hoya to Turki Alalshikh

Over its century-long history, The Ring has changed hands several times. In 1979, a group led by former NBA star Dave DeBusschere acquired the magazine, with Burt Sugar becoming editor. Then, in 1989, Stanley Weston bought it through G.C. London Publishing before Kappa later acquired the company.

Initially, Alalshikh’s move raised hopes. The publication had pivoted to a digital-only format in 2022. After Alalshikh’s purchase, the magazine brought back its regular monthly print issues.

But the transition also raised several questions when incidents triggered doubts over editorial independence.

One notable example emerged back in February when Ring Magazine, through a tweet, overtly questioned Queensberry Promotions’ financial health and other related issues after its head, Frank Warren, filed a $1 billion lawsuit against TKO (owner of UFC and WWE), Alalshikh, and Saudi entertainment company SELA over an alleged breach of contract.

The move drew criticism, with many highlighting the magazine’s apparent sacrifice of journalistic integrity.

A month later, while speaking with Ariel Helwani, De La Hoya expressed his regret for selling the Ring to Alalshikh as the controversy over IBF stripping Jai Opetaia after he joined Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing gained attention.

“The way things are going, I actually do (regret selling),” he said, before adding, “I never regret anything. When I had the Ring Magazine, I kept its integrity… Turki came along, and I thought I was selling it to a person who really cared for the sport and was going to uphold its integrity, but I guess I was wrong.”

Beyond that history, DAZN has meanwhile decided to keep rumors at arm’s length. “As company policy, we do not confirm, deny, or comment on market rumors or speculation regarding mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, or rights deals,” their representative told BoxingScene.

DAZN’s interest in The Ring follows its history of investing in sports media. Its former parent, Perform Group, previously owned The Sporting News before DAZN sold the publication in 2020. This time, however, the target is a century-old boxing brand with a far deeper connection to the sport.

What adds another layer to the situation is how the new acquisition, if true and finalized, could affect the fighters.

DAZN has a deal with all the major promotional players in boxing, including De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and more recently Bob Arum’s Top Rank.

Among prominent names, besides Usyk, in the heavyweight, Ring Magazine’s championship roster includes Opetaia (cruiserweight), Dmitry Bivol (light heavyweight), Canelo (super middleweight), and Shakur Stevenson (light welterweight), among others.

Barring a few like Bivol, most are directly or indirectly involved with Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season and Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

So, with the magazine once again shifting towards the old guard, the question now is how its championship will shape up between reigning title holders and those who will hold the belts in the future.