The Ring Magazine (Publishing)https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/129153-07#overview (often called The Ring or Ring magazine) is a boxing magazine, that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling became increasingly dubious, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively an all boxing publication.
Ring began publishing annual ratings of boxers in 1924. Following the November/December issue in 2022, the magazine announced it would halt its print editions, while remaining a digital only publication with occasional special print editions. However, in 2025 following a revitalization under new owner Turki Al-Sheikh, The Ring once again returned to regular monthly print issues.
History The Ring, founded and published by future International Boxing Hall of Fame member Nat Fleischer, has perpetrated boxing scandals, helped make unknown fighters famous worldwide, and covered boxing's biggest events of all time. Dan Daniel was a co-founder and prolific contributor to The Ring through most of its history.
Another founding partner was John L. "Ike" Dorgan (April 15, 1879 – December 27, 1960), a bookbinder, boxing manager (for Harry Ebbets and Charles Francis "Frank" Moran, known as "The Fighting Dentist"), press agent (for boxing promoter George L. "Tex" Rickard),Roberts, Randy. Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2003, p. 140. and publicity manager for the Madison Square Garden. He remained with this influential publication until his retirement in 1930."Ike Dorgan" in BoxRec (Boxing Records Archive) Boxing Encyclopaedia
The Ring refers to itself (and is referred to by others) as "The Bible of Boxing." During the Fleischer years, the contents page or indicia of every issue carried the claim: "The Ring is a magazine which a man may take home with him. He may leave it on his library table safe in the knowledge that it does not contain one line of matter either in the text or the advertisements which would be offensive. The publisher of The Ring guards this reputation of his magazine jealously. It is entertaining and it is clean."Sports Illustrated, August 6, 1962.
In 1972, following Fleischer's death, his son-in-law and managing editor Nat Loubet took over as publisher.Gordon, Randy "REMEMBERING THE ROCK & MR. BOXING", 'The Sweet Science", SEPT 6, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2018. In 1977, Loubet launched three international editions of the magazine. The Spanish version, Ring En Español, was published in Venezuela and distributed to all Spanish-speaking countries and the United States (U.S.) until 1985. There was also a Japanese version published in Tokyo and a French version published in Paris.
In 1977, managing editor of The Ring Johnny Ort, fabricated records of selected boxers, and elevated their rankings, securing them lucrative fights on the American ABC television network, as part of the United States Championship Tournament orchestrated by promoter Don King.Newfield, Jack Only in America: The Life and Crimes of Don King, Harbor Electronic Publishing, New York, 2003, page 115. Retrieved June 16, 2018. The deception was uncovered by boxing writer Malcolm "Flash" Gordon and ABC staffer Alex Wallau and the United States Championship tournament was cancelled by ABC.
In 1979, the magazine was purchased from Loubet by a group led by Dave DeBusschere and Bert Sugar took over as editor. In 1983 Sugar was succeeded by future New York boxing commissioner Randy Gordon. By 1984 the publication was reported to be over $1 million in debt and a number of top salaried employees, including Gordon, were let go. Nigel Collins of the Ring's defunct sister magazine Boxing Illustrated took over as editor. In 1989 The Ring was purchased by Stanley Weston's G.C. London Publishing (later known as Kappa Publishing Group), which also published KO Magazine and a number of wrestling publications. KO senior writer Steve Farhood became The Ring's editor. Weston was a sentimentalist and 52 years after joining The Ring magazine as a stock boy, Weston purchased the magazine that gave him his first job. He not only resurrected the magazine from its imminent collapse, he re-established the publication as the definitive source for boxing news. An outstanding boxing artist, Weston painted 57 covers for The Ring with his first cover, a painting of Billy Conn, for the December 1939 issue. Weston was also a photographer who, according to his own estimate, shot over 100,000 boxing photosthe majority of which are housed in the archives of The Ring magazine.
Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, a subsidiary of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Enterprises, acquired The Ring, KO Magazine, and World Boxing in 2007. The magazine's rankings are recognized as "official" by some in the U.S. media, particularly ESPN. While some may see a conflict of interest in a boxing promoter being paymaster of what is essentially a magazine/rankings organization that awards world titles and belts, De La Hoya says that is not the case. "These magazines will be held in an editorial trust where they will be operating totally independent of any influence from me or others from the Golden Boy Companies as it relates to editorial direction or content". Also there is a 35-member ratings advisory panel, which include many of the media that cover boxing, who would prevent Golden Boy Promotions from using the magazine for self gain.
The Ring was headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania until 2011 when it was relocated to Los Angeles.
The magazine had a sister publication named The Ring Wrestling which came about due to professional wrestling writer Bob Leonard contacting the magazine and expressing that it was too focused on boxing and not giving wrestling enough coverage. Nat Loubet served as the editor of the wrestling magazine as well.
In December 2022, The Ring relocated from Los Angeles to Dubai after discontinuing their regular monthly print issues in the United States.
In November 2024, The Ring was acquired by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and a major figure in the global boxing renaissance. Alalshikh had already been instrumental in bringing major events to Saudi Arabia under the Riyadh Season umbrella. After the acquisition, The Ring began to evolve from a neutral publication into an active promotional brand. Under Alalshikh's direction, the magazine retained its editorial team and rankings panel but expanded its operations to include event promotion, branding partnerships, and cross-industry collaborations. The transition formally materialized in 2025 with the launch of Ring-branded boxing, with the first major event being Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero – Fatal Fury in Times Square.
Controversies In their book Iron Ambition: My Life With Cus D'Amato, Mike Tyson and Larry Sloman, while depicting the rise of the International Boxing Club of New York and D'Amato's battle with the organization, allege that the magazine and its then-owner and editor-in-chief Nat Fleischer were under control of the IBC and the rankings were heavily favorable towards the fighters it controlled.
In the 1970s, managing editor of The Ring Johnny Ort fabricated records of selected boxers to elevate them, thereby securing them lucrative fights on the American ABC television network, as part of the United States Championship Tournament, orchestrated by promoter Don King. The scandal was uncovered by boxing writer Malcolm "Flash" Gordon and ABC staffer Alex Wallau. After Gordon and Wallau's evidence was presented to ABC executive Roone Arledge, the United States Championship tournament was cancelled. The scandal would lead to the eventual resignation of New York State Boxing Commissioner James A. Farley Jr., who had lent his name to the Championship fights.
Cover art Some of the boxers featured on the magazine covers have included Tommy Ryan, Salvador Sánchez, Jack Dempsey, Pancho Villa, Max Schmeling, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep, Ingemar Johansson, Muhammad Ali, Alexis Argüello, Wilfred Benítez, Wilfredo Gómez, Roberto Durán, Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bud Taylor, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Thomas Hearns, Naoya Inoue, Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Mauro Mina and Ricardo Mayorga. In 1978, boxer Cathy "Cat" Davis became the first woman ever to be on a cover of The Ring, and she held the distinction of being the only woman featured on the cover of the magazine until January 2016, when Ronda Rousey joined her and also became the first mixed martial arts fighter featured on its cover.Rousey becomes first MMA fighter to land Ring Magazine cover Fox Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2016. The Ring has used cover artwork created by famed artists such as LeRoy Neiman and Richard T. Slone.
Boxing events On March 5, 2025, TKO Group Holdings (TKO) announced a partnership with Turki Alalshikh and Saudi entertainment conglomerate Sela to launch a new boxing promotion in 2026. Shortly after this announcement, rumors about disagreements between TKO's Dana White and Alalshikh about the promotion for a fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford started circulating on social media. These disagreements allegedly prompted Alalshikh to venture into boxing promotion himself under "The Ring" banner. The first event advertised under The Ring banner in partnership with SNK took place on April 26, 2025, with Eubank Jr vs. Benn – Fatal Fury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Events +# Event Date Venue Main event Co-Promoters 1 Eubank Jr vs. Benn – Fatal Fury April 26, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn Matchroom Boxing, Boxxer2 Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero – Fatal Fury in Times Square May 2, 2025 Times Square, New York City, New York, USA Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero Golden Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing, Top Rank 3 Ring III: Berlanga vs. Sheeraz July 13, 2025 Louis Armstrong Stadium, Queens, New York, USA Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz Matchroom Boxing, Queensberry Promotions, Top Rank 4 The Ring Presents: The Underdog September 11, 2025 Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Anthony Olascuaga vs. Juan Carlos Camacho Zuffa Boxing5The Ring: Unfinished Business – Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn IINovember 15, 2025Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UKChris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor BennMatchroom Boxing, Boxxer6 Ring IV: Benavidez vs. Yarde – Night of the Champions November 22, 2025 ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde Queensberry Promotions, Top Rank, Sela 7Ring V: Night of the SamuraiNovember 27, 2025Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaNaoya Inoue vs. David PicassoMatchroom Boxing8Ring VI: Teofimo vs. ShakurJanuary 31, 2026Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York USATeofimo Lopez vs. Shakur StevensonMatchroom Boxing, Top Rank9The Ring: High Stakes – Barrios vs. GarciaFebruary 21, 2026T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USAMario Barrios vs. Ryan GarciaGolden Boy Promotions, TGB Promotions10Fury vs. MakhmudovApril 11, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UKTyson Fury vs. Arslanbek MakhmudovGold Star Promotions10Usyk vs. Rico – Glory in GizaMay 23, 2026 Giza pyramid complex, Giza, EgyptOleksandr Usyk vs. Rico VerhoevenMatchroom Boxing, Gold Star Promotions11Garcia vs. BennSept 12, 2026T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USARyan Garcia vs. Conor BennZuffa Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions12Mexico vs The World: Alvarez vs. MbilliOctober 31, 2026The Venue, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCanelo Alvarez vs. Christian MbilliPremier Boxing Promotions, Sela13Fury vs. JoshuaDecember 11, 2026Principality Stadium, Cardiff, WalesTyson Fury vs. Anthony JoshuaMatchroom Boxing, Queensberry Promotions, Sela
World champions