Will The Middle East Become Boxing's Next Hotspot?

There has been an evident power shift in the world of boxing over the past couple of years, as more and more of the biggest names in the sport are opting to compete in the Middle East. The biggest reason for that is down to the money that the boxers are able to make from competing in nations such as Saudi Arabia, with officials able to offer massive purses in order to shine a brighter light on the nation.

In truth, in the grand scheme of boxing, there were few bigger winners in 2022 than those organizers, as they were actually able to bring together the biggest names in the world of boxing to ensure that bettors with arabicbet.org can wager on the most significant bouts. But, could this trend of hosting events in the Middle East continue?

Matchroom Plan Future Middle East Dates

One of the reasons why events are being staged in the Middle East with few issues is the fact that boxers are able to be financially rewarded greater than they would be if a fight was to happen in the United Kingdom or the United States. Meanwhile, it also ensures that many of the world title bouts do not see a champion or challenger having a home-field advantage, as they are currently no world champions from the region.

Matchroom is one of the biggest promotions in the world of boxing, and they have already achieved notable success by hosting events in the Middle East. There was evidence of that in 2019, as Andy Ruiz Jr made his first world heavyweight title defense against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua was once again at the top of the card last year, as Matchroom put on an excellent show as the Brit attempted to win back his unified world titles against Oleksandr Usyk with no success. Matchroom has already held another major event in the Middle East this year, as Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez clashed in Abu Dhabi.

Future Events Likely

When Matchroom first started putting on shows in the Middle East, the promotion was condemned, with many speculating that officials were only keen to pay top dollar to cover up human rights abuses, which is commonly known as sportswashing. However, the same questions haven’t been asked in recent editions, as the promotion and competitors are both being paid healthily for the shows that they are putting on.

Eddie Hearn has been very vocal about his ambition to grow the sport and take it to new audiences around the world, and that is exactly what staging events in the Middle East does. Hearn has already claimed that he will be looking to put on four further shows in the region throughout 2023, and the promoter is keen to emphasize that while boxing remains at the heartbeat of locations such as Las Vegas and London, adding another new demographic to the table isn’t likely to hinder the long-term future of the sport, as it will likely have the opposite impact.

What Fights Could Happen In The Middle East?

When Hearn outlined plans to host four Matchroom events in the region in 2023, he also alluded to the fact that he could see the first unification fight in over 20 years also taking place in the region. He admitted that a bout between Usyk and Tyson Fury could easily be made in the Middle East, given that both fighters will likely be paid more handsomely for taking the bout to the region than they would be if it were to be held at Wembley Stadium, or any location in Las Vegas.

That will certainly be a landmark event for boxing in the region, as the first unification heavyweight showdown since the 2000s has been something that all fans have been wanting to see for a number of years. The event will have the eyes of the world on it, and no boxing fan will want to miss a moment of the action.

As well as that, the Paul Brother circus also heads to the Middle East this year, as it has already been announced that Jake Paul’s upcoming grudge fight with Tommy Fury will be taking place in Saudi Arabia at the end of February.

Conclusion

The biggest names will continue to compete in the boxing ring in the Middle East for years to come, as the money available far outweighs what other locations are able to match. However, only time will tell if it becomes the hub of the sport, as the most significant bouts still largely take place in the United Kingdom or the United States.