DAZN Reportedly Takes Control of Ring Magazine and Its Belts
DAZN has reportedly acquired a controlling interest in The Ring, placing the iconic publication and its championship belts under the streaming giant.
DAZN has reportedly agreed to acquire a controlling interest in The Ring, the move first reported by Tris Dixon at Total Boxing citing multiple sources.
The deal would place both the publication and its championship belts under the control of the streaming broadcaster. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring from Oscar De La Hoya in November 2024 for a reported $10 million.
"Turki sold controlling interest of The Ring magazine and belt to DAZN," one source told Total Boxing. The agreement was reportedly reached over two weeks ago, though another source described the process as "ongoing."
DAZN declined to confirm or deny the transaction. The deal immediately raises questions about editorial independence given DAZN's commercial interest in broadcasting the sport it would now also be ranking and belting.
The Ring, founded in 1922, has long been considered the most prestigious title in boxing. Its lineal championship belts carry weight precisely because they have historically operated independently of promotional interests. That independence gets harder to defend when a broadcaster with exclusive deals across the sport holds the keys.
This one has been brewing for a while and it makes me uneasy. The Ring belt means something because it has always been the people's belt, the one that follows the fighter who actually beats the man. The second DAZN starts steering those rankings to favor fighters on its own platform, that credibility evaporates.
Turki buying it for $10 million was already a red flag. Flipping controlling interest to a broadcaster with skin in every major fight is worse. You cannot be both the promoter and the scorekeeper. Boxing already has four sanctioning bodies that hand out belts like participation trophies. The Ring was supposed to be the antidote.
I hope I'm wrong. Maybe DAZN builds a wall between the editorial side and the business side. But boxing has never been a sport where walls hold up for long.
