Eddie Hearn, the man behind Anthony Joshua’s money-spinning Middle Eastern debut, sidestepped questions about Saudi Arabian ‘sportswashing’ but predicted that Saturday’s world heavyweight title fight will usher in a new era for the region.
Joshua is set to bank upwards of £50m for taking on WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz in the ‘Clash on the Dunes’ in Diriyah at the weekend in the rematch of their New York classic back on June 1.
Eyebrows were raised when the beaten Londoner decided to give away home advantage for the biggest fight of his life in order to become the first man in history to challenge for a world heavyweight title in the Saudi Arabian desert.
What’s more, it has been suggested by Amnesty International and others that the whole encounter, part of Diriyah Season, is the latest example of so-called ‘sportswashing’ whereby the government attempt to lure major events to the country in a bid to help distract attention from the kingdom’s ongoing human rights issues.
Hearn, however, insists he is not qualified to comment on the accusation but instead deliver the best deal possible for his fighter. Joshua, whose previous best payday was the £18m he pocketed when losing to Ruiz in June, has not complained.
“The people I am dealing with, I believe, have very good intentions for the sport,” Hearn said. “I know they do, they are mad boxing fans and they want to use the sport to develop in this territory.
“I was with Prince Khalid here, who put everything together. Boxing is opening doors over here, they are using boxing to break down some barriers. There are going to be big programmes coming into school next year for under-privileged kids. He is a very passionate guy about boxing.
“I have seen work going on behind the scenes into boxing, into grassroots, and they have done an amazing job. Not just kissing their a**e but they have done an amazing job; the logistics, the teams, stadium, they have delivered on everything they have said.
“I was driving up looking at House of Fraser. Go into the Mall, Gucci, Chanel, Starbucks – major corporations willing to trade here but we can’t accept a deal to have a fight with another man in the most brutal sport because of someone’s opinion on sportswashing? Tyson Fury came here with WWE and no one raised an eyebrow. Formula 1, European Tour, they’re all coming here too.
