Since the entry of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh in the boxing world, we have seen a swift change. The Saudi Royal has already made dream flights possible and has promised us another historic year for boxing after 2024. It is once again an exciting time to be a boxing fan.

However, while male boxers have benefited greatly since the arrival of Riyadh Season in the sport, there is a severe lack of female boxers on their card. So far, there has been only one woman’s fight under the Riyadh Season banner. On Tuesday, as HE Alalshikh took to his ‘X’ to get the fans excited for another year of non-stop boxing, Claressa Shields reminded him that the Saudi Royal has largely ignored how female boxers.

Claressa Shields: History without women not acceptable

After a successful wrap of the Ring Magazine awards ceremony in London last week, His Excellency took to his ‘X’ and wrote, “They talk a lot about the fights, but what happens in the end is that the final answer is with us,” claiming that he is the biggest promoter in the world right now. He further added, “Prepare soon for announcing the biggest schedule for the year in boxing history,” promising yet another blockbuster year for boxing fans.

With the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev event on February 22nd having one of the best undercards the world has ever seen, the Saudi Royal’s claim appears to be well-founded. Furthermore, reports indicate that he is at the forefront of negotiations for the highly anticipated Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua mega-fights. It seems he is fully committed to making 2025 a landmark year for boxing.

However, Claressa Shields, the most decorated female boxer of all time, felt a bit left out of all the history-making. The fact that most of the cards had very little female representation became a point of contention for her. The GWOAT replied back to the tweet and wrote, “Don’t forget about the Women Turki 🙇🏾‍♀️ we love this sport too and want to make the biggest & best fights,” putting the Riyadh Season head on notice for ignoring female boxing stars.

Considering HE Alalshikh is going to put on some of the best events, every fighter would love to be part of that. However, so far, there has only been one women’s boxing match on a Riyadh Season card, something that needs to be changed in 2025.

Skye Nicolson still the only one to break ground

On October 12, 2024, Skye Nicolson defended her WBC featherweight title against Raven Chapman on Beterbiev-Bivol undercard. Nicolson and Chapman created history and indicated a significant change in Saudi Arabia’s evolving stance on women’s participation in sports, with their fight being the first ever women’s title fight held inside the country.

This was only the second women’s fight ever in Saudi Arabia. The first fight came two years prior when Ramla Ali faced Crystal Garcia Nova at the Jeddah Superdome in August 2022, in Jeddah on the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch undercard.

Women’s boxing historian Malissa Smith showed the same concerns as Claressa Shields regarding women’s boxing in Saudi Arabia. Smith thinks that the involvement of Nicolson and Chapman on the Riyadh Season card “feels like a token gesture, like they’re saying, ‘Look, we have women on the card,’ but the bigger picture is concerning.”

Smith further highlighted that even the boxing Super League has sidelined women from that conversation as well. “The Saudis are talking about launching a boxing league, signing major promoters, and putting the sport on the map. Where are the women in these discussions? This league is all about men. There’s no mention of women at all,” claimed the historian.

Considering how His Excellency is taking over the boxing world, the concerns of Claressa Shields and Smith sound valid. We know that women’s boxing can attract viewers. The rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as well as their first match is the perfect example of that.

With the Riyadh Season planning a historic year, it would be brilliant to see women’s boxing on those cards. It is the perfect time and opportunity to elevate female boxing. Otherwise, they will be lost in the shuffle.

What are your views on Claressa Shields’ comment? Do you think Saudi Arabia should have more boxing matches? Let us know your thoughts down below.