sport news Eddie Hearn defends staging Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia trends now
Promoter Eddie Hearn has defended the decision to stage Anthony Joshua’s eagerly-anticipated rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia amid the mass scrutiny surrounding this week’s inaugural LIV Golf series event, insisting boxing cannot be compared to other sports.
There was criticism in abundance when Premier League outfit Newcastle finally confirmed their mega-money Saudi-backed takeover last year, and this week the topic of sportswashing has once again hit the headlines, with a number of elite golfers lured by the new event.
Hearn has already staged an event in Saudi Arabia, being Joshua’s rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. And the former champion is now set to return to the Middle East, with the fight announcement to come next week.
Eddie Hearn (right) has defended the decision to stage Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II in Saudi Arabia
The pair will do battle once more on August 20, with Joshua fighting in the Middle East for a second time
Usyk dazzled his way to a wide decision win to claim Joshua’s IBF, WBA and WBO belts last year, and the pair will square off once more on August 20, taking place in an indoor venue to compensate for the searing heat, with Hearn now insisting the fight is signed and sealed.
There will, as there were prior to Joshua’s encounter against Ruiz Jr, be questions raised regarding the location throughout the build-up to the fight. But, for Hearn, he firmly stands by the decisions made.
‘The problem at the moment is no one wants to be honest,’ he said. ‘I’m very comfortable, particularly in boxing, to make decisions like that, for many different reasons.
‘One is that I’ve done it before. It was a huge success. I’ve seen the work that went in to make a major sporting event for the region. It’s not a game of golf.
‘I’m not saying the golfers shouldn’t be playing in this tournament, I’m saying it’s a prize fight where contractually we have to go to the venue that ultimately creates the most amount of revenue for this fight - whether AJ likes it or not.
‘It’s not even close. It’s not like there’s a little bit of a difference from doing it in London. It’s a whole different stratosphere.’
Where Hearn doesn’t necessarily believe the Saudi-backed golf event should be frowned upon, he does insist those competing in it should be transparent as to why they are doing so.
A number of elite golfers, inclduing Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have signed up for the inaugural LIV Golf Series event, which has received mass crticism
Joshua and Hearn have taken boxing to Saudi Arabia in the past, when the former avenged his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr
Some, like Lee Westwood, have insisted they would be ‘stupid’ to turn down the money. Others, however, have insisted the financial rewards are not what has driven them to compete.
Hearn continued: ‘With these golfers, they’ve got to sit down and say, “I was excited by this project” – which they genuinely could be – “I wanted to have my own destiny in terms my schedule, and I want to make a lot of money.” They’re missing that bit out.
Boxing’s different; boxing is a sport where we all expect these guys to go in, have a fight in front of all these people around the world in a potentially damaging environment - and I have an obligation to make them as much money as possible.
‘I’m doing that,
