Wilfried Sauerland turns 85 today. BOXSPORT spoke to the German promoter legend about glorious times, boxing today – and personal experiences with Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Sauerland, a lot has happened since you retired from the business a few years ago – and Saudi Arabia has become a hotspot for international boxing. You had your experiences there much earlier.
I remember in 2018, we were practically the first to organize an event in Saudi Arabia with Sauerland Event. Back then, our super middleweight George Groves fought Callum Smith in Jeddah as part of the World Boxing Super Series. A year later, Filip Hrgovic fought on the undercard of the heavyweight world championship Ruiz vs. Joshua in Diriyah near Riyadh. At that time, no one in the boxing business had really ventured into Saudi Arabia, partly because the press wrote very critically about it when international sporting events were held there.
Today, Turki Al-Sheikh and the “Riyadh Season” pay out millions of dollars to boxers and promoters. Was it the same back then?
No, there wasn’t the big money like there is today. The Saudis approached us back then and it was more of an exchange, with trainers sitting in on fights in our stables and so on. When they later organized their own events, Sauerland boxers were always involved in fringe events. But for us, Saudi Arabia was nothing more than a side business.
“Nowadays, fights are possible that would not have been feasible in the past.”
Would you like to be a promoter again under the conditions that prevail today in the new “boxing mecca” of Riyadh?
The conditions created under Turki Al-Sheikh and the Riyadh Season have made many things easier. It has to be said that fights are now possible that would not have been feasible in the past due to different interests. But: No – I’m happy to give advice when I’m asked by my sons Kalle and Nisse, who both work as CEOs at Wasserman Boxing. Basically, they’ve had enough experience of their own in the boxing business.
You were a successful promoter and had a decisive influence on boxing in Germany for decades. How has the sport developed since then?
There are some talented boxers in Germany today, including qualified trainers. But that has less to do with the level of performance that used to prevail in German boxing. If you compare back then with today, there are quite a few differences. Nowadays, there are only a few promoters in Germany who are able to put on an event in such a way that the quality of the fights is right and the boxers are on an equal footing in the ring. …
Interview: Frank Schwantes
You can read the full interview with Wilfried Sauerland in the new ePaper of the BOXSPORT app!