Boxing in the Kingdom: The impacts of how Saudi Arabia is now the home to Boxing

Introduction

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been the home of the sport of Boxing, with the kingdom hosting many high-profile events, bringing in huge pay-per-view sales and audiences. However, many people think that Boxing events should not be held in Saudia Arabia due to many political reasons and believe that there are other influences in why these large events are choosing Saudi Arabia over other nations like the UK. This is going to be further discussed in this post.

The Impact on the Kingdom

 Saudi Arabia has seen huge economic improvements since hosting globally watched boxing events, with events such as the fight between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz being one of note that brought massive attention to the country of Saudi Arabia (Hvidt, M., 2019). These boxing fights resulted in an incredible boost in tourism for the nation. The success these boxing fights bring financially and socially to the country is a clear indicator of why Saudi Arabia will continue to host and promote these high-demand boxing events.

The Controversy

Although the positives are clear as to why Saudi hosts these events, it still comes with criticism; this is regarding its human rights record alongside the country’s political landscape. Many boxing fans believe that this may have an impact on the outlook of Boxing, thinking that it could tarnish the sport’s positive brand image and that it is clear that the sport is only about the money, not caring about what the fans want for the sport.

Fans

Even though highly anticipated boxing fights that take place in Saudi Arabia clearly bring in large numbers of money, there is still one impact that cannot be changed with money, and that is the fans. Many fans of boxing reside in countries that are far away from Saudi Arabia, and cannot afford to travel to the country to watch the fight, which is diminishing the accessibility of the sport, giving it a more ‘luxury outlook’. In addition to this, fans also feel like they are being lied to, with the promoters of these Saudi events telling everyone that it is all about the fans, yet many fans are unable to attend the fights and instead have to pay ridiculous pay-per-view prices for an event which is already set to earn millions.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia is clearly going to continue hosting many boxing events due to the huge awareness and economic boost that they bring to the country. However, it is still clear that Boxing as a sport will most likely lose its positive outlook due to it being clear that both fighters and promoters who take part in these events are in it specifically for the money. In addition to this, the sport looks like it is turning a blind eye to the political problems that are currently seen within the country, making many fans feeling wrong when watching events that Saudi Arabia are hosting.

Please see the sources used for this post below:

Hvidt, M., (2019). Saudi Arabia: Domestic factors underpin its sudden interest in sports. Videnscenter Om Det Moderne Mellemøsten.

talkSPORT. (2023). ‘Holy moly’ – Fans react as Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou PPV price is confirmed. [online] Available at: https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1596942/fans-ppv-tyson-fury-francis-ngannou-floyd-mayweather/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2024].

the Guardian. (2019). ‘They want the money’: the real reason boxing is going to Saudi Arabia. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/07/they-want-the-money-the-real-reason-boxing-is-going-to-saudi-arabia.

The Sun. (2023). Froch reveals fears over Saudi takeover of boxing amid AJ and Fury fights. [online] Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/24845234/carl-froch-saudi-arabia-anthony-joshua-tyson-fury/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2024].

http://www.amnesty.org.uk. (2024). 10 ways that Saudi Arabia violates human rights. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/saudi-arabia-human-rights-raif-badawi-king-salman#:~:text=The%20country%20ranks%20as%20the [Accessed 15 Jan. 2024].