Desert Devils: Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua Meet in Saudi Arabia

[thenonpareil]

It is no easy task for boxing to set off a firestorm during the dog days of summer, but Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom, managed this improbable feat when he held a curious press conference a few days ago announcing that Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua would face off for their rematch on December 7, in a locale that left the fight racket by turns amused, nonplussed, dismayed, and outraged.

For Hearn to bypass eighty to ninety thousand punters in Wembley or Cardiff—as well as depriving Joshua of certain partisan advantages—he must have received an astronomical site fee from Skill Challenge Entertainment, which, in a way, is ironic because there is no site. Although Saudi Arabia has a thriving if disreputable construction industry (one dependent, in part, on exploited migrants), Hearn seems more than just optimistic that his hosts can deliver a gleaming new arena in Diriyah by fight night.

https://hannibalboxing.com/desert-devil ... di-arabia/

[KiwiRider]

Slave labour built the pyramids, so a boxing venue should be easy.