The Saudi Pro League has been the talk of football so far this summer, as the gulf nation welcomes some of the biggest stars in the sport to their domestic game. At one time Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and N’golo Kante lining up for Saudi Arabian clubs would have been unthinkable. But the backing of the Public Investment Fund in the nation has seen these huge names tempted to move to unchartered footballing territory.
While this has come as a shock to the footballing landscape, fans of boxing will not be surprised. As with the controversial LIV Golf series and their long-term relationship with WWE, Saudi Arabia has made significant inroads in boxing. Part of Saudi Vision 2030, a national effort to diversify the country’s economy beyond oil, Jeddah has become as likely a destination for big fights as Las Vegas or London.
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The thin end of the wedge was Callum Smith and George Groves’ super middleweight showdown in 2018. A WBA and The Ring world title fight between two British boxers, it seemed illogical to stage it abroad. Originally announced for London, instead the sums involved saw it shift to King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. The £6.1 million prize money for the World Boxing Super Series final was just a taste of the many millions thrown at this event. Smith’s seventh-round TKO win would open the doors to future fights in the kingdom.
Anthony Joshua’s 2019 revenge mission against Andy Ruiz Jr and his 2022 rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk both took place in the country. Amir Khan’s final career win, a four-round mauling of Billy Dib, was also staged in Saudi Arabia. The clearest indication yet of the winds of change was professional trend-chaser Jake Paul having his fight with Tommy Fury in Diriyah. Though, given it was his first defeat, he may not return.
Now the nation looks set to stage its biggest card yet. At least according to Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn and Saudi royal Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. The pair are planning to collaborate on a heavyweight double-header that will feature Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk contesting the undisputed heavyweight championship. Chief support is proposed to be Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder. This week, plans were announced to add a fight between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and shopworn contender Derek Chisora to proceedings.
It’s the same approach as the Saudi Pro League or LIV Golf. Throw money at the big names in an attempt to buy a sport wholesale. There is no real reason for three Brits, an American, a Ukrainian and a Cameroonian to fight in Saudi. Even reading that back sounds like a hackneyed set-up for an outdated joke. But the almighty dollar speaks loudest, particularly in fight sports where there is no league structure to compel competition.
Will this ambitious card happen? Probably not. Unlike in football, you don’t just need the signature of one party. To make a fight, two protagonists must agree. Fury’s on-again-off-again search for a challenger since his underwhelming December win over Chisora proves that isn’t easy. ‘The Gypsy King’ has moved the goalposts on Joshua and Usyk in talks and is now offering out UFC Heavyweight king Jon Jones and Ngannou. Getting him to the table to fight Usyk will be a huge obstacle for the easily-distracted WBC champion.
Wilder has kept his powder dry since an October knockout of Robert Helenius. Given the fact a fight with Ruiz has been close before falling apart several times since suggests he’s not an easy man to do business with. Usyk and Joshua will be easier meat, having fought each other twice in recent times and with ‘AJ’ beating Jermaine Franklin recently. Chisora is almost a lock given his insatiable appetite to fight, though recent PFL signee Ngannou could be harder to persuade.
The spending is unlikely to stop as Saudi Arabia ramps up its sporting presence over the coming years. And if this heavyweight supercard does come off, it would be a net positive for boxing. But on the flipside, the distracting, drawn-out negotiations are arguably moving us further away from heavyweight clarity. Of the touted fighters, only Joshua has boxed this year. In the meantime, fans have had to endure multiple breakdowns in talks. Trying to get so many names onto one night of boxing is arguably one minefield too many.
People are already speculating whether the Saudi Pro League will go the way of the Chinese Super League. If Prince Khalid and Eddie Hearn fluff their lines here, the future of Saudi boxing as a whole is in doubt. It’s an all-or-nothing play and if they fail to stage this show, it will harm the credibility of further attempts to garnish the nation with world class fights. Las Vegas is the home of gambling as well as boxing, but this double-header feels like a particularly high-stakes game.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
