Riyadh Season Partners with World Boxing Council

Riyadh Season and the prestigious World Boxing Council (WBC) announced a partnership on Monday. (SPA)
Riyadh Season and the prestigious World Boxing Council (WBC) announced a partnership on Monday. (SPA)
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Riyadh Season Partners with World Boxing Council

Riyadh Season and the prestigious World Boxing Council (WBC) announced a partnership on Monday. (SPA)
Riyadh Season and the prestigious World Boxing Council (WBC) announced a partnership on Monday. (SPA)

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Advisor Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh announced on Monday a partnership between Riyadh Season and the prestigious World Boxing Council (WBC).

He said: "This partnership represents a vital step forward for Riyadh Season's mission to elevate the Kingdom's entertainment sector", adding that WBC's standing as a leading and respected organization in the boxing world makes the alliance particularly impactful.

Alalshikh said Riyadh Season strives to unite audiences worldwide through a captivating and diverse range of entertainment experiences, and as such, "this collaboration with WBC presents a unique opportunity to attract a global audience".

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said: "We are pleased to welcome the Riyadh Season as a new official partner of the World Boxing Council. The Riyadh Season is a huge event, considered as one of the largest entertainment events in the world, and the sport of boxing has recently been linked to it, as Riyadh has become internationally recognized as the capital of boxing sport, where three exciting fights were held during the previous Riyadh season."

Adding that the cooperation between the two entities will generate many "distinctive and unique opportunities", Sulaiman stressed that "we look forward to participating in this growing passion in Saudi Arabia."

"This partnership will create opportunities and memories that will extend into the lives of many boxing fans around the world through social responsibility programs that include 'WBC Cares' programs in hospitals, orphanages and schools, in addition to awareness programs with experts in the fields of addiction, bullying, domestic violence and mental health," Sulaiman said.



Goran Ivanisevic Says He No Longer Will Be Coaching Elena Rybakina After the Australian Open 

Goran Ivanisevic watches the men's singles semifinal match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Serbia's Novak Djokovic on day twelve of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP)
Goran Ivanisevic watches the men's singles semifinal match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Serbia's Novak Djokovic on day twelve of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP)
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Goran Ivanisevic Says He No Longer Will Be Coaching Elena Rybakina After the Australian Open 

Goran Ivanisevic watches the men's singles semifinal match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Serbia's Novak Djokovic on day twelve of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP)
Goran Ivanisevic watches the men's singles semifinal match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Serbia's Novak Djokovic on day twelve of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP)

Goran Ivanisevic's brief stint as 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina's coach is over now that she is out of the Australian Open.

Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon winner himself in 2001, posted a brief statement on social media Tuesday, saying: “After our trial period that finished with Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team best of luck moving forward.”

The sixth-seeded Rybakina, a runner-up in Australia two years ago, was eliminated in the fourth round by Madison Keys on Monday.

Rybakina's coaching situation is complicated: She announced right before last year’s US Open that she no longer was working with her long-time coach, Stefano Vukov, and hired Ivanisevic ahead of this season.

Then, just before the Australian Open, Rybakina said Vukov would be rejoining her team — and the WTA Tour said Vukov was provisionally suspended, “pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA code of conduct.”

Ivanisevic coached Novak Djokovic to a dozen Grand Slam titles together before they split in March 2024.