Saudi Arabia is set to host the much-anticipated world heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
According to promotor Eddie Hearn, a specific venue and date is yet to be confirmed for the bout, which will crown the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, suggested in comments made to Sky Sports that the fight could take place on either August 7 or August 14.
“It’s a very bad secret that the fight is happening in Saudi Arabia,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
Joshua won back the WBA, WBO and IBF belts by beating Andy Ruiz Jr in Diriyah, on the outskirts of Riyadh, in December 2019.
“We’re very comfortable. Anthony’s comfortable, he knows those people,” said Hearn who added: “They delivered on every one of their promises last time. We’re ready to go.”
Hearn also announced that a two-fight deal between Joshua and Fury (pictured above) had been agreed in March after months of negotiations.
If confirmed, the fight would confirm Saudi Arabia as a global destination for major sporting events.
Strong government support and growing commercial maturity are helping to raise the Gulf’s profile in the sporting world, said consultants PwC in February.
While the growth of the global sports market is expected to slow to 3 percent over the next 3-5 years, dampened by the impact of coronavirus-related restrictions, the Middle East region is forecast to see growth of 8.7 percent over the same period.
The PwC Middle East’s Sports Survey said examples of world-class sporting events include the annual Formula One Grand Prix in both Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and now in Jeddah, as well as Qatar set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The jump into sports comes as Middle East governments have been active in efforts to diversify their economies with ambitious plans for the sports industry away from natural resources and to create social cohesion.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE for example, have spent more than $65bn on sports development, PwC said.
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