It is just past 8:30 on a Monday morning in California, and Amer Adballah has taken time away from a family reunion to speak to Boxing News about his role as Head of Boxing for Skill Challenge Entertainment, the company behind Saudi Arabia’s rise as a major destination for boxing. A former world champion kickboxer, Adballah is grateful for the blessing bestowed upon him in this new role, which he sees as everything he has ever dreamed of doing. Adballah is well-spoken and charming, his position between the Saudi Arabian royal family and the boxing world’s top figures allowing him to make bold statements with certainty. However, Adballah also faces a challenge in balancing what is deserved with what is disrespectful, as the Saudi numbers offered to fighters for fights become astronomically high.
Regarding the recent rumors of Adballah’s association with Daniel Kinahan, who is believed to be involved with the Kinahan cartel and is now a wanted man, Adballah makes clear that he has disassociated himself from Kinahan and has had no dealings with him since news broke of his allegations. Though Adballah once met with him in Dubai, the allegations against Kinahan and his associates have forced them all to go their separate ways. Adballah answers only to Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz, the founder and chairman of his company.
Though some have criticized the Saudi numbers as being disruptive to the sport and damaging to the market, Adballah insists that he is not going to ruin the sport or make every fight. Instead, he aims to work selectively, picking and choosing which fights and which fighters to work with. In contrast to some insinuations, Adballah sees the Saudi numbers as giving fighters what they want, when they want it, thereby unifying the sport and giving the fans what they desire.
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