Is it fair to criticise Usyk and Joshua for accepting big money to fight in the Middle East?
SAUDI ARABIA, here we go again. It’s been two-and-a-half years since Anthony Joshua headed over there, brushed off a series of awkward questions about the morality of fighting in such a contentious setting, and notched one of the most important victories of his career when he defeated Andy Ruiz Jnr, then his sole conqueror, in a one-sided rematch.
The parallels are clear as he prepares to face Oleksandr Usyk in a sequel to a bout won in London, almost at a canter, by the Ukrainian last year. The obvious reason for Joshua’s latest rematch being staged in the Middle East is money, and a desert-load of it. Do we, or should we, begrudge boxers for pocketing as much cash as they can lay their hands on? It’s certainly hard to.
There’s more to consider, too. Though the seriously fat wedge on offer is the biggest factor in the setting of this eagerly awaited return, it’s undoubtable that Joshua – who has to be selfish at this crucial juncture of his career – will like the idea of returning to a place where he managed to restore order to his boxing career before.
Out in Saudi in 2019, as November rolled into December, Joshua was largely shielded from the indescribable pressures of fighting at home. What followed was a punch-perfect display against Ruiz who barely landed a glove on the man he’d knocked senseless only six months before. For Joshua, Saudi Arabia generates only happy memories.
That of course is not the case for everyone. The country’s human rights record is both notorious and atrocious. The issue of sports-washing should be impossible to ignore but, as we know only too well by now, when there are huge sums of money involved even the worst of crimes can be overlooked. Joshua claims to know nothing about sports-washing, even though he was posed the same questions back in 2019. Some might say that a fighter with a profile as big as his would make it his business to find out. Others will suggest it is not in his remit as an athlete to get bogged down in such matters.
What can’t be ignored is that the Middle East revolution is upon us. The sporting landscape, where fans were once an important part of every production, may never be the same again. If key figures in sports like tennis, golf, motor racing and football are happy to take the Saudi money you can be sure that boxing will hold out its grubby hands, too.
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622668346707968
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622732276301824
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622796684021760
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622857346252800
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622920634105856
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542622986467901440
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542623050674307072
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542623113022636032
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542623183856041984
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542624597231620096
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542624710700138496
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542624772960387072
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542624847786770432
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625062270881792
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625126041092096
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625200800354304
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625266277646336
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625441360465920
https://c.realme.com/id/post-details/1542625517533220864
When paid to write about boxing it’s very hard to hold the moral high ground, however. Will BN be there to report on the event? Of course, if permitted. That is our duty, after all. But there is something exceptionally bothersome about the emergence of Saudi Arabia as a force in boxing. If Joshua wins, one should expect a fight against Tyson Fury to then follow in the same country. Not in the UK, where fans would turn up in their droves and the contest would be as big an event as last year’s football European Championships final, but Saudi Arabia where the wonga is plentiful and the moral compass barely existent. If we’re not careful we will soon be in a position where every superfight is staged in the Middle East because nowhere else can compete, at least financially.
