NEW YORK CITY – In a DAZN interview with Saudi Arabia boxing financier Turki Alalshikh on Fridaypre-fight host Pat McAfee asked him about his “grand vision” of bringing championship boxing to Times Square.
However, the Times Square “Fatal Fury” card, headlined by Ryan Garcia against Rolando “Rolly” Romero, is not visible to fans gathering around the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway. It will also not be shown on Times Square’s giant screens near a ring that is now being shielded by large, red “The Ring” material covering chain-link fencing surrounding the ring.
Some amateur fighters from local New York gyms received tickets to the event, only to be told that they would be watching on screens on a traffic island on 45th Street and Broadway. Many of them left rather than watch from a distance.
For all the efforts behind staging this high-profile card in such an iconic public area, the only way to actually take in the fights is to subscribe to DAZN.
On that same network’s pre-fight segments with McAfee, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and Alalshikh attempted to defend the decision after Alaklshikh on Thursday posted a picture of the confined ring on X, and asked, “We are bad for boxing?”
McAfee, a former NFL punter and sports generalist, said at the end of a segment with Jim Lampley: “We’re honored to be here. We have no idea how we got asked to be here, but we’re honored to be here.”
Hearn praised the vision of having the show in Times Square amid Alalshikh’s coming efforts to bring another New York event to a unique location on July 12 – rumored to be Central Park – and perhaps bring a card to Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay. Hearn also called the resistance to boxing in Saudi Arabia “strange.”
Hearn said Alalshikh was “unbelievably ripe with incredible vision,” but passers-by Friday strode past the ring at the end of a long work week as if they were walking by another construction site.
“The Naked Cowboy,” never shy about displaying himself to the world while playing guitar and singing unique songs, sang a novelty tune for BoxingScene: “Fatal Fury in Times Square/The fight’s tonight, make sure you’re there.”
Yet he also said, “I’m still kind of baffled what the concept is. They’ve got one screen in [the enclosed ring area]but we can’t see it, and it’s like they’ve barricaded it from the whole place. Otherwise, I don’t understand. How can you see it? There’s [only] room in there for about 10 people – Saudi billionaires. The people putting on this fight have so much money.”
Said McAfee, speculating: “Everyone’s interest has been piqued, and obviously Times Square’s gonna bring hundreds of thousands.”
Alalshikh himself joined the segment and initially thanked Saudi Arabian prince Mohammed Bin Salman for his involvement in sport.
“God bless him,” McAfee said.
“I meet yesterday all the fighters,” Alalshikh said, “and I say to them, ‘Win or lose, we will still do business with each other.’”
McAfee’s co-host, retired WWE wrestler-turned-commentator Booker T, praised Alalshikh’s relationship with fighters and mentioned the Muhammad Ali Act. Minutes later, Alalshikh brought up his partnership with Dana White and their incoming launch of the TKO boxing league; White has said he wants to change the Ali Act.
Ryan Songalia contributed reporting.
