His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the Head of Riyadh Season, announced today an agreement with award-winning boxing trainer Joe Gallagher to oversee the first-ever Mike Tyson Boxing Gym. The state-of-the-art facility will be built in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi, as part of the Riyadh Season festival. Riyadh Season will play host to the “Battle of the Baddest”, a WBC event, between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury on Saturday, October 28.
Entertainment is a universal language, transcending typical barriers that stand in the way of unity by bringing people together around a shared experience and form of art, That’s why we’ve made boxing such an integral part of Riyadh Season, and it’s why we’re proud to partner with Joe Gallagher on this unmatched opportunity.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Riyadh Season signed the agreement with Gallagher as part of its continued investment in boxing and entertainment in the Kingdom. Gallagher will be responsible for managing and overseeing the first-ever Mike Tyson Boxing Gym in the world, due to open next month, which is geared towards discovering, developing and training the next generation of boxers. The gym will include inputs and visits from Mike Tyson. As part of this agreement, Gallagher will also be responsible for the training and development of local Saudi teenage boxing prospect Mohammad Al-Akl.
Gallagher said: “It is great to be involved in such an exciting project in a growing market, where boxing is really taking off. The fact that Saudi Arabia has attracted such huge names as Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou to fight in Riyadh and has worked with Mike Tyson to create the first gym with his name attached to it shows the commitment in putting Saudi Arabia among some of the top nations in terms of hosting events and building world-class facilities.”
Gallagher has a rich history having produced a string of British and World champions from the UK, including Anthony Crolla, Scott Quigg, Natasha Jonas, Liam Smith, Callum Smith and Paul Butler. He is a two-time winner of the UK Boxing News Trainer of the Year, including being the first-ever winner in 2015, and was also the first UK-born trainer to be named USA Ring Magazine World Trainer of the Year in 2015.
