It has long been assumed that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight title fight, should it happen, will land in Saudi Arabia.
This would follow a pattern of the country and Middle East more generally moving deeper into the sporting world with the goal of putting on the biggest and best events.
The financial offerings from oil-rich nations have been made clear, with many promoters claiming that their fighters almost have no choice but to accept the inflated purses when compared to what places like the UK and the US can generate.
Bob Arum, Fury’s American promoter, has long said they were waiting for a deal from Saudi to be presented, and as soon as they saw that the money was available they would take it. In fact, he said that Usyk’s side had already accepted theirs.
However, MailSport are now reporting that the Kingdom is as good as off the table, with timing issues in terms of the construction of the stadium the final nail in the coffin.
Fury’s UK promoter, Frank Warren, has previously stated that the fight will go ahead on April 29 regardless of location, and it appears that the Saudi government could not promise that the new Jeddah stadium would be built in time.
English fans are now delighted that Wembley Stadium is now all but confirmed to host the fight, but again, that is if it goes ahead.
It’s believed that the closer-to-home event now sets off a new set of negotiations, and a real danger that the money available won’t be enough to satisfy all involved.
As of writing, the undisputed talks plod on.