Promoter Matchroom has suggested that the acts staged so far will struggle to meet the standards set by Alalshikh with the season’s events in Riyad, which feature headline fights, packed houses and global attention.

“He’ll be sitting there watching Zuffa perform and he won’t be very impressed,” Hearn told Ariel Helwani while discussing the current boxing landscape.

Hearn explained that Alalshikh’s expectations for boxing highlights are based on recognizable fighters, sturdy cards and an atmosphere usually associated with stadium cards. The Saudi emphasis on boxing has placed an emphasis on major fights between top fighters, gigantic venues and international distribution that puts the sport in front of a global audience.

“He loves substantial shows. He loves substantial fights. He loves deep cards, substantial names, sold out stadiums and the buzz of boxing,” Hearn said, describing Alalshikh’s approach to the sport.

The Saudi official played a key role in the recent series of high-profile boxing events surrounding the Riyad season, many of which featured top champions and challengers from multiple divisions. These cards included major heavyweight and other title fights that attracted worldwide attention.

Zuffa had only recently entered the boxing industry, and its early events were held on a smaller stage than many of the season’s events in Riyad. Several shows were held in smaller venues and focused on brand building rather than staging major title fights.

Hearn believes the difference will remain noticeable as the project continues to develop and try to establish itself in the sport. In his opinion, the early cards had not yet matched the scale and depth of the events that had become common during the Riyad Season era.

For Hearn, the standards for major boxing events are already clear and any fresh promotion entering this space will ultimately be judged against them. From his perspective, early Zuffa cards simply hadn’t reached that level yet.

Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.

Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.

A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.

Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.

According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.

“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.

Swiss competition

Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.

“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.

SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.

The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.

Unbroken records

Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.

Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.

Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.

For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.

“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Oleksandr Usyk still has three fights left and hopes to extend his record to 27-0 before hanging up his gloves for good.

The elite Ukrainian was undisputed at cruiserweight before repeating the feat twice at heavyweight. In both divisions, he has victories over Murat Gassiew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Usyk will then focus more on the spectacle side of the sport when he faces kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt on May 23.

I keep talking Inside the RingUsyk assured fans that while this fight may not be at the elite level he is known for, his last two fights will be.

“Rico, this is the first one. Second, Wardley-Dubois wins. The third fight is my friend Greedy Belly, Tyson Fury.”

When asked how much time he had left, Usyk confirmed that he was three years aged and had not played.

Fabio Wardley rose from interim to full WBO champion when Usyk vacated the belt last year, and he puts that status on the line against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester. If “DDD” wins tonight, Usyk’s last two scheduled fights could be trilogy fights.

The 39-year-old from Simferopol defeated Dubois and Fury twice, stopping the former in both cases and the latter on points. Fan interest in the fights may therefore be circumscribed.

However, if Wardley manages to remain with the organization in two months’ time, many would like to see the Ipswich fighter team up with the Usyk fighter who has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of a generation.

Whether this would be an uncontested fight seems unlikely. Although Usyk’s WBC belt in the match with Verhoeven is controversial, the IBF and WBA have not commented on this fight yet.

Moreover, the WBC has ordered Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, which is clearly not in his plans. This means that it may be stripped of all three lanes in the near future.