Criminal head of international ring (4)
I believe the answer is:
capo
'criminal' is the definition.
(head of a crime syndicate)
'international ring' is the wordplay.
'international' becomes 'cap' (sportsperson who competes internationally).
'ring' becomes 'O' (letter resembling a ring).
'cap'+'o'='CAPO'
'head of' is the link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for capo that I've seen before include "Gangster boss" , "crime boss" , "Leader of gang" , "Mafia boss" , "something to grip neck tightly" .)