His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has had a profound effect on the sport of boxing. So much so that he is even part of the new video game Undisputed from developer Steel City Interactive, backed by publisher Deep Silver. However, despite the game being sponsored by the Riyadh Season, his involvement as a character in the gameplay seems to have met with some friction from the boxing world. 

Undisputed hit the market on October 11th with a massive list of licensed boxers, licensed trainers, managers, and even cutmen, which stands to be the biggest effort to date. While critics suggest the game doesn’t pack the biggest punch, it’s a welcomed addition to the boxing video game genre. Regardless, the question remains, what did the Saudi Royal do in the game that fans are so upset about? 

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh makes a cameo 

It’s been a few days since the game’s release, and both hardcore and casual boxing fans have had the chance to dive in and explore its many features that are part of the first boxing game in 10 years. During this time, talkSport editor Michael Benson shared an interesting discovery: a special achievement that players can unlock only after claiming all the heavyweight titles in career mode.

“When you win all the heavyweight world titles in the new Undisputed boxing game’s career mode, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh walks out and hands you the Undisputed belt…,” Benson wrote on X. This unique moment appears to be inspired by real-life events, particularly the belt given to Oleksandr Usyk following his victory over Tyson Fury earlier this year, where Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion.

However, this wasn’t quite the success among the fans as the developers may have hoped for. 

Fan compares undisputed belt to a WWE belt

While boxing fans may have loved the video game itself, most didn’t feel the belt looked very good. One user expressed the same sentiment, writing, “That belt is an eyesore, awful.” Notably, the developers could always dish out new updates to improve it. 

The next user had a similar opinion about the belt, writing, “That is the most god-awful hideous ugly looking belt I have ever seen. Full stop ✋.” It’s currently unclear whether the belt is presented in every weight class or is just limited to the heavyweight division as the undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev was also given a similar belt.

While others might not have liked the belt, this user seemed happy about it. “What a cool lil addition,” the user commented. However, the whole idea behind the Saudi Royal’s appearance and the belt could also be a mere marketing ploy for the Riyadh Season.

Meanwhile, this user wasn’t happy about the Saudi Royal’s appearance in the game. “Why tf they add him to the game,” the user asked. Notably, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, as explained earlier, is one of the sponsors of the game. 

After discovering the post from Benson, someone else was reminded of the belts in WWE. The user remarked, “Looks like a WWE belt.” Well, WWE has a video game as well. Perhaps that’s where the boxing video game idea came from.

While adding the undisputed belt in the video game was an interesting thought, it didn’t quite land with the fans. However, it also comes down to personal taste, some may like it others may not—which one are you?