Promoter Eddie Hearn has no intention of giving up the Middle East as a destination for big-time prizefighting.
Hearn, the head of Matchroom Boxing, is generally credited as the first promoter to stage fights in the oil kingdom, most notably with the heavyweight rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz in 2019. In August, Hearn promoted the heavyweight title unification rematch between Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. And on Saturday he staged the light heavyweight title bout between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi.
The decision to take tent-pole fights from their natural ecosystems and arrange them in the Middle East, of course, has been met with considerable criticism. Critics argue that the kingdom simply uses sports (from golf to soccer to gaming) to cover up their vast human rights abuses and improve their international reputation, a practice referred to as “sportswashing.”
Hearn has responded to claims of dropping to a new moral low ground by, admittedly unconvincingly, insisting that he would be in dereliction of his duties as a promoter for his clients by not procuring the biggest paydays for them.
Public outrage toward fights in the Middle East, in any case, as it relates to the boxing world, has seemed to dim in recent years.
Hearn, in a recent interview, said he expects to put on at least four major shows in the Middle East in 2023. And it is not just Hearn. The promoter said he foresees the undisputed heavyweight championship between WBC titlist Tyson Fury and WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk — neither of whom are linked to Hearn — to take place in the Middle East next year as well.
“Our plan will be to stage four events here next year, and I expect to see potentially Usyk against Fury in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia,” Hearn said on The Boxing with Chris Mannix podcast. “They want to be players in the market for big fights. With that being the case, you’ll definitely see this become a solid destination for big time boxing.”
Asked if such a reliance on the Middle East deprives local fan bases of meaningful fights, Hearn said the number of fights that take place there is still relatively minuscule, so there is no need to be concerned.
“There’s only so many fight nights that they (Middle East) are looking to do,” Hearn said. “And there are a multitude of major fights a year. It’s not like we’re going to see boxing disappear from the United States and the UK. I just feel like this will be another stop for global boxing. Obviously they’re very aggressive. They want to bring big fights here.
“You have to understand the world’s a big place. Just because boxing has been big at Madison Square Garden (in New York City) for many years, and at MGM Grand (in Las Vegas), doesn’t mean that every big fight has to go there. At the end of the day, not every big fight can be housed in the Middle East.”