Saudi Arabia a potential venue for Groves vs Smith

Will be surprised if it happens there, not exactly the mecca of boxing is it, especially with the strict drinking laws there. But the stadium there is nice but doubt it fills that up, will probably be in a smaller arena.

 

Don't we hear this rumor every 6 months?

 

Same **** every year.
And never will it happen.

 

Put a beheading on the undercard, they'll fill that stadium easy.

 

A stadium? Not with +30° even at night.

 

1-2 times per year you hear that Dubai, Quatar, Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia are going to stage a huge fight. And then ... crickets. These countries are so dumb and backward they will never stage any major entertainment event.

P.S. Anyone remember Wlad - Fury rematch was going to be staged on a luxury yacht in Dubai with tickets going for $1m a piece. No TV. That's when you knew their marketing department went completely ape****.

 

i will never forget that.

 

Get the feeling that WBSS are short on money and are just trying to ***** it out to whoever pays the most. It's not about making any money back for these rich sheikhs, it's about putting on a prestigious event to show off to your mates.

 

Would be interesting but risky - a crowd of scousers supporting Smith facing up to a crowd of cockneys supporting Groves could cause a riot in Saudi where they're not exactly known for tolerance.

Could lead to a diplomatic crisis and eventually world war 3.

Ach why not - go for it.

 

Nothing comes to mind in Saudi Arabia, but the UAE certainly has a history of hosting events. Qatar will host the next World Cup, the biggest sports event except for the Olympics. Qatar is also hosting the next World Athletics Championships. Also, off the top of my head, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain currently host F1 races. The Meyden meeting in Dubai is one of the most lucrative horse racing meetings there is. The Tour of Qatar is a pretty high profile 5 day cycling event. Plus there are various tennis events on the ATP / WTF tours.

So, it's not out of the question that an Arab nation could host a WBSS final. If the rulers see any prestige to be gained, they could outbid almost anyone. Admittedly, it would likely be a terrible spectacle - boxers fighting in front of a tiny number of uninterested royals, Monaco style, or in an almost empty stadium, or a stadium full of near-slaves forced to attend.

 

Why not just put it in the UK where both have a fan base?

 

The Arab states have certified glass bank accounts. This deal gets stopped early. No way it goes the distance.

 

They keep trying to tap in to that rich vein of Arab cash dont they. Is there actually any interest in Boxing in Saudi?