Not really jumping to conclusions just asking the question - understandable given your track record of adopting the pro-mr view.
I agree with this. At the end of the day it IS all about the money so will probably end up in Saudi. If it were to end up at Wembley I'd expect the tickets to be double the norm to make up some of the Saudi shortfall , then I guess we get everyone moaning that the biggest fight in British boxing history has out priced the real fans, be careful what you wish for !
Why are people so hell bent on bringing up Saudi's human rights when it comes to hosting boxing fights over there but have no opinion or bother for when the US hosts fights? The US is the single cause of bloodshed around the world. Biggest war criminals going. China's persecution of Muslims has been going on for years yet Pacqiuao had one of his fights there and there was no uproar about what they're doing. Floyd is rumoured to be having his next fight in China as well. No mention of human rights there either. Yes we all know Saudi's reputation stinks but lets just put the "human rights" card to one side when discussing the fight and let more knowledgeable people on the matter discuss that. It's like one person has mentioned human rights and now every poster feels obliged to run with it and mention human rights when it comes to Saudi without really knowing what they're talking about. "Yeah its crap hosting it in Saudi mate, have you seen their human rights record??? Unbelievable. I'm off to Dubai with the wife and kids next year where they kill, torture and hold hostage, workers from all over the world. Cant wait but I'm definitely not going Saudi mate. Not in a chance in hell." If there are genuine boxing reasons for not having the fight in Saudi then discuss that. Rather that than talking about a subject on here, most know pretty much nothing about.
I agree that those who would have attended have the best cause for feeling aggrieved but I think you can also make a case for being annoyed based on the human rights issue, concerns over the impact the decision could have on British boxing going forward or, depending on location, a moan about what time the fight is on at. I wouldn't go the fight because I hate stadiums for boxing, they're just too damn big unless you're lucky enough to have the best seats in the house. I will not stand idly by however whilst you take my right to whinge and moan about it anyway
We're all human so we all have an interest in upholding human rights. Here's a good primer on Saudi Arabia, only takes a couple of minutes: https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/report-saudi-arabia/
No I get that mate, I really do but it seems to me no one really has a genuine interest in Saudi's human rights record. It's just a convenient stick to beat Eddie with. Why don't any of us mention how America keeps blowing shiit up in the middle east and why are we letting fights be hosted over there? Why does no one talk about how american solders, raape, torture and kill muslim women in these war torn regions? I can dig out a million google links for that and get you all reading for days but no one would be bothered because they it doesn't register with them at all. It's of no interest to anyone and why should it be. That's the point I'm trying to make. To get on Saudi's back for human rights record, is hypocritical when the whole world is fcked up. The UK and US sell billions of pounds worth of arms to Saudi yet no one seems to be bothered about that yet everyone wants to pipe up when a boxing event gets hosted there.
people are well within Their rights to highlight the issues with human rights in saudi and if they feel that strongly about and have genuine interests in these matters then i can see their point...but i doubt that's the case when discussing a boxing match on a boxing forum, and like you say It's probably just a convenient excuse for some to criticize people they don't like.
It's because of the sports washing aspect. A fight winds up in Vegas because it makes more money there. A fight winds up in Saudi Arabia because they will bid more than any commercially ran venue could possibly match. They do that because they have other interests, including using sports events to distract attention from some awful things. You're right that there is hypocrisy and enough blood on hands for everyone to look like they've done 12 rounds. I'm not lecturing anyone, but I do think this is a valid aspect of discussion around these fights and we shouldn't just try and shut it down but instead as boxing fans make the effort to understand how our sport is potentially being used and why?
Is there anything wrong with wanting one of the biggest heavyweight fights in recent years, one between two British boxers who are arguably two of the top three current heavyweights, taking place on British soil? Especially after what we saw in Saudi Arabia, no atmosphere, no nothing, it was awful. This is a huge fight and it should be hosted like it, in my opinion.
What about the half billion revenue an event like this would bring to the economy, local business and vendors. Much needed revenue with the upcoming fallout from Brexit and that's without the tax avoidance.
Be nice to happen in the UK but you ask either fighter to give up £10 mil each to fight in the UK? Both fighters would refuse and I dont blame them. Its not about putting money first. They are prize fighters its naive to think they dont want to earn as much as they can in the game. Personally I dont really mind where the fight is held. Just get the fight made.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting it whatsoever. It’s naive to think professionals would willingly take a much smaller pot though. The way to look at these things is via percentages rather than just bottom line numbers. People on here who presumably have alright jobs have an opinion on spending twenty quid to watch a fight. As a percentage of their income that’s presumably a small amount. Yet the same people would decry Joshua and Fury for potentially earning a massive percentage increase because they’re already wealthy.
