Inoue signs Riyadh Season ambassador contract
Earlier today it was announced that undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25) [井上尚弥] had signed a deal with a bumper sponsorship contract with Riyadh Season, with the news benign reported across Japanese media.
The deal, said to be worth an estimated 3 billion yen ($19.7 million), was said to have been signed over the weekend, with Inoue and Ohashi Gym chairman Hideyuki Ohashi meeting with Turki Alalshikh on November 2nd to put finishing touches to an agreement. The deal not only celebrates Inoue, which we’ll talk about shortly, but also builds on the strong relationship between Japan and Saudi Arabia, who celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2025.
The contract will see Inoue, who was described as "one of the best athletes in Japan, and one of the top young athletes of today." acting as an ambassador for “Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh Season.” The “Riyadh Season” banner which cover sports, music and other cultural events, is looking at using Inoue’s profile to help encourage more Japanese visitors to the Kingdom, and there are plans for a large, though as yet to be announce, project involving Inoue next year.
It should be noted that at the time of writing there isn’t any immediate plans for Inoue to fight in Saudi Arabia, though the hope is that Inoue will "promote the event through various commercial activities, digital accounts, social media, etc" There is also plans to shoot a commercial with him next year and the hope of him fighting there in 2025.
Interestingly Alalshikh explained to the press that “We have been in discussions since then until today and have been able to reach a major agreement. I won't reveal the details here. Mr. Inoue's side will make an announcement when the perfect timing is right. It'll be a huge surprise and something completely different from anything we've seen before. It's something big that's sure to please everyone.”
As part of the deal Inoue revealed he will be wearing trunks with the Riyadh Season logo for the first time and explained “Just because the logo on my trunks is changing doesn't mean my boxing will change. I want to stick to my own style of boxing”. Notably Inoue did seem to show some ignorance to what Riyadh Season really was, explaining “I haven't looked into it in detail, but it's a place that only a limited number of athletes can reach. I don't think it's a stage that anyone can get to.”
Whilst Alalshikh did suggest he wanted to see Inoue fighting in Saudi Arabia in 2025 Inoue himself seemed less committed to things, explaining that a fight in the Kingdom next year “all comes down to timing” and added “I have matches scheduled for this year, and I don't know what will happen next year, but if the timing allows, I'd like to play in Saudi Arabia. I'll just have to perform as well as I did in Japan and live up to the expectations.”
The deal, said to be worth an estimated 3 billion yen ($19.7 million), was said to have been signed over the weekend, with Inoue and Ohashi Gym chairman Hideyuki Ohashi meeting with Turki Alalshikh on November 2nd to put finishing touches to an agreement. The deal not only celebrates Inoue, which we’ll talk about shortly, but also builds on the strong relationship between Japan and Saudi Arabia, who celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2025.
The contract will see Inoue, who was described as "one of the best athletes in Japan, and one of the top young athletes of today." acting as an ambassador for “Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh Season.” The “Riyadh Season” banner which cover sports, music and other cultural events, is looking at using Inoue’s profile to help encourage more Japanese visitors to the Kingdom, and there are plans for a large, though as yet to be announce, project involving Inoue next year.
It should be noted that at the time of writing there isn’t any immediate plans for Inoue to fight in Saudi Arabia, though the hope is that Inoue will "promote the event through various commercial activities, digital accounts, social media, etc" There is also plans to shoot a commercial with him next year and the hope of him fighting there in 2025.
Interestingly Alalshikh explained to the press that “We have been in discussions since then until today and have been able to reach a major agreement. I won't reveal the details here. Mr. Inoue's side will make an announcement when the perfect timing is right. It'll be a huge surprise and something completely different from anything we've seen before. It's something big that's sure to please everyone.”
As part of the deal Inoue revealed he will be wearing trunks with the Riyadh Season logo for the first time and explained “Just because the logo on my trunks is changing doesn't mean my boxing will change. I want to stick to my own style of boxing”. Notably Inoue did seem to show some ignorance to what Riyadh Season really was, explaining “I haven't looked into it in detail, but it's a place that only a limited number of athletes can reach. I don't think it's a stage that anyone can get to.”
Whilst Alalshikh did suggest he wanted to see Inoue fighting in Saudi Arabia in 2025 Inoue himself seemed less committed to things, explaining that a fight in the Kingdom next year “all comes down to timing” and added “I have matches scheduled for this year, and I don't know what will happen next year, but if the timing allows, I'd like to play in Saudi Arabia. I'll just have to perform as well as I did in Japan and live up to the expectations.”