Boxing's traditional arenas such as Las Vegas and London are going dark more often with the emergence of major fight cards in Saudi Arabia.
And while few live experiences can match watching a boxing match in person, the rewards of watching an event like the upcoming undisputed heavyweight and light heavyweight title fight over two weeks are worth it. It's worth it, said panelists on Tuesday's episode of Probox TV, “Deep.” Waters,” he said.
“I'd rather watch a great card fight on TV than a boring fight live,” said analyst and former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. “You don't have to go to the concert.”
As part of a strategy to brand Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a global destination, the oil-rich nation led by Turki Alalcik has recruited sports celebrities, former rival promoters and elite fighters to further its promotion. .
On May 18th in Riyadh, undefeated three-belt heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk will aim to become a two-time undefeated champion when he takes on undefeated WBC champion Tyson Fury.
And on June 1, in Riyadh, undefeated Russian light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will battle for undisputed supremacy in their division.
For the Beterbiev vs. Bivol card, former rival British promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren each selected five fighters for a “5-on-5” match-up that included a point system with one point for a decision victory. Contains a unique “tournament” undercard card that will , 2 points for a knockout victory and 2 points for a captain's victory.
The “5-on-5” undercard will feature former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder vs. China's Jirayi Zhang, top-10 heavyweights Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, and WBA super featherweight champion Raymond Ford vs. Nick. Ball, middleweight Hamza Silas vs. Austin Ammo will be offered. Williams and British light heavyweight Craig Richards vs. Willie Hutchinson.
Former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri said on “Deep Waters” that “we've talked about how competitive the fighters are…the promoters are competitive too.” “They don't want their guys to lose.”
Hearn, who famously worked to build up the fight between then-champion Anthony Joshua and then-champion Deontay Wilder a few years ago, named Wilder as captain for the bout in hopes of securing a four-point lead over China's Zhang. Meanwhile, Warren named Sheeras his captain against undefeated Williams.
“They're setting these up [teams] To win, the rules are great and there's a strategy to it,'' Algieri said.
Alarusik spoke about taking Riyadh's showcase card to London in September and returning to his home country for another big event in December.
A possible December card could see undefeated former super middleweight champion David Benavidez face off against the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol, a bout that would otherwise have been held in Las Vegas. .
“Right now, there's a barrier to entry to going to games,” Algieri said. “I'm not going to fly to Saudi Arabia to watch the match…but there's another option. Everything is here,” Algieri said, holding up his cell phone.
“Now there are so many ways to watch a fight and see your favorite fighter,” he said. “And the ability to see them with more eyes. [boxing] Good for sports.
“Ultimately, we don't go through the experience of going into battle, but we don't live in that world anymore, especially after that. [the pandemic of] 2020. Things have changed. You can watch the game whether you're on the train, on the plane or right here. ”
