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Boxing News: Breaking Ground in Saudi Arabia » June 30, 2023 – Fight News
By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán & WBC President
I have visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a boxing show which was quite extraordinary. I am extremely impressed by the work put together by Skill Challenge Promotions, as they have put together a memorable event. The Middle East Professional Boxing Commission has grown to be a standalone entity fully equipped to supervise world level shows and the people in Saudi Arabia love boxing.
The boxing card was exceptional. For the first time in history, an Arab woman fought in her homeland, there were three amateur fights backing up the Olympic boxing program, six preliminary fights which included local talent, followed by a sensational and dramatic WBC world title fight.
Former two-division world champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack defeated former champion from the Congo Ilunga Makabu by TKO in Round 12, to win the World Boxing Council cruiserweight title. A Cinderella story on its own, Badou Jack is now a three-division world champion (super middle, light heavy, and cruiserweight). Makabu, a true warrior, put a sensational and courageous fight, landing heavy shots in the middle rounds, making the fight dramatic as he seemed to be getting back strong to finish the fight. Badou had to dig deep to hurt Makabu, and finished with a flurry which prompted referee Mark Lyson to stop the fight.
Open scoring was used and both corners received the official scores at the end of round 4 and 8. This is a sensational rule which allows the corners to adjust during the fight, knowing the real scores of what the officials are scoring. Scores at the end of 4 were 38-37 twice and 39-36 as Makabu was knocked down in round 4. At the end of 8, the fight got close – 76-75 twice, 75-76 split in favor of Badou Jack. Jack came back strong to win the ninth, tenth and 11th dropping Makabu again.
Instant Replay was also available, even though there was no need to use such important rule.
In the main event, Englishman Tommy “TNT” Fury, younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, defeated American boxer and YouTube Star Jake Paul by split decision. The 2-year conflict was resolved in 8 entertaining rounds and at the end of the bell, both came to the center of the ring and showed exemplary sportsmanship and fair play.
Jake Paul has lost, and in my opinion, now the pressure is off and he will be able to start his career as a boxer. He took defeat like a man of honor and is now without any doubt a boxer in his own. Tommy Fury came to fight, had a plan and executed very well. Referee Hector Afu was sensational in what turned out to be a difficult match to officiate due to the many holdings and unorthodox actions during the fight.
Jake has been in contact with the World Boxing Council for a long time, beginning with winning a WBC amateur belt several years ago in England.
He has had several professional fights against athletes from other sports personalities, and his last fight was a dominant presentation against Anderson Silva, the former UFC champion who was able to defeat Julio César Chávez Jr.
The criticism of him from the traditional media and boxing fans has been incessant, and this was a great opportunity to validate his status as a boxer by facing Tommy Fury, who by winning will be ranked on the WBC lists.
Saudi Arabia ventured into boxing by already organizing two very important cards: Anthony Joshua’s rematch against Andy Ruiz (2019) and Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch against Joshua himself (2022), two great fights for the boxing heavyweight championship.
How did boxing come to be of interest to Saudi Arabia?
More than 30 years ago, a kid from the royal family, Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, would go to bed early only to wake up at 4 a.m. so he could watch his hero on television: Mike Tyson.
Mike Tyson motivated him to follow our sport and The Prince became a great fan, with the dream of one day making the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the capital of the boxing world.
During the press conference, he announced the creation of the promotion company Skill Challenge Entertainment, and his plan to bring fights of global interest to Saudi Arabia on a consistent basis.
A great team has been formed under the leadership of Amer Abdallah with Fadi, Ravi and other leaders.
It has been an unforgettable experience. Prince Khalid opened his home to receive those of us who came to witness this event with a dinner in his garden in which a regional show was put on, with music and traditional dances, where a party was held with Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Devin Haney, Shawn Porter, Derek Chisora, Michael Buffer and some more of us who were honored to be present. There were dances, sword rituals with drums and Arabic chants. Children running around the garden, all of them princes of the royal family and a dinner of delicious Arabic food…and desserts!
The weigh-in was held in the gardens of a palace, with a spectacular event, but with the sun beating down on all of us.
All the boxers passed the weigh-in without problems and the boxing show was held in a stadium built exclusively for this great event.
The presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and a large number of personalities was amazing. The great former world champion Deontay Wilder arrived and the atmosphere was impressive. To have Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora in the same room was a rare occasion which made it even more special.
Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud has been instrumental in bringing boxing to this country.
Did you know…?
In the history of boxing, there have been multiple occasions where personalities and athletes from other sports got into the ring.
The great Muhammad Ali fought for 15 rounds against the fighter Antonio Inoki in Japan, who never got up from the canvas kicking Ali, and it resulted in a boring draw.
José Canseco, that Major League Baseball home run hitter, tried boxing and was beaten; Legendary Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Ed “Too Tall” Jones fought six professional fights and retired undefeated. Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke went to fight several times in Japan and sold out many arenas.
It is currently a phenomenon of which we must be very careful, vigilant and attentive, so that an accident does not occur on the ring.
Today’s anecdote
My dad’s dream was to see boxing in the Middle East.
On one occasion he traveled to Lebanon, and after a meeting with the President of that country, Emile Lahoud, an agreement was reached for the possibility of presenting Mike Tyson defending his WBC world championship. Unfortunately, the war began and that dream could not come to fruition.
He was very happy to see Prince Naseem Hamed establishing himself as a great world champion, and he also had a good relation with Amir Khan when he was starting his career, as young Amir promised to one day be a world champion. I am certain that my dear Father is smiling to see the Middle East having boxing and I believe that within 2-3 years the first champion born local will be crowned.
I welcome your feedback at [email protected].
Being an Arab living in Mexico, I’m sure Mauricio was thrilled having a boxing show in Saudi Arabia.
I had no idea he was Arab. I always thought he was Mexican.
I guess women weren’t allowed to be there, but hey if the sowdi money rolls in it’s all good right
Verbatim, the article stated “The boxing card was exceptional. For the first time in history, an Arab woman fought in her homeland,”
Ladyboxer, did you even bother to read the article, or did you decide to come on here to speak your preconceived bias?
Saudi Arabia should’ve had some beheading executions as the co main event. Would have been more entertaining than the main event.
“Jake has been in contact with the World Boxing Council for a long time, beginning with winning a WBC amateur belt several years ago in England.”
– Couldn’t help but notice how Mr. Sillyman was standing next to Paul when the judges scores were read.
– And how he consoled him after the decision loss.
– Lots of partiality on display.
Today, 3/1, from another site regarding the WBC:
“Conor Benn said the World Boxing Council (WBC) did him a “disservice” when it suggested his failed drugs tests were caused by an excessive consumption of eggs after the governing body cleared him of intentional doping last week.”
and
“In my defence to the WBC and the 270-page report provided to them, at no point did I indicate that I failed any VADA tests because of contaminated eggs,” Benn said. “I feel like the WBC statement did a disservice to my defence.”
Good job, WBC….
I see Saudi Arabia, becoming the second capital of boxing behind Vegas. Saudi Arabia is paying big bucks and you can’t deny that.
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The last Fight Week prior to the mega Fulton-Inoue/Spence-Crawford showdowns offers up some interesting action.
FRIDAY
Thompson Boxing sadly bids farewell after 23 years of promoting boxing in Southern California. Their final show is headlined by welterweight Louie Lopez (13-2-1, 4 KOs) against an opponent TBA. You can catch the action on YouTube and Facebook.
SATURDAY
ESPN presents former undisputed lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) against Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in a twelve round IBF world title eliminator from the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
UFC Fightpass has exciting junior middleweight KO artist Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
ProBox TV has a pro fight card from the Radisson Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay, with middleweight Amilcar Vidal Jr (16-1, 12 KOs) rebounding from his first loss against Domicio Rondon (17-5, 11 KOs).
So we have a fighter from Australia against a UK fighter at a venue on Oklahoma. Looks like this one will go the distance!
My thoughts (re the fighters and venue) exactly but why do you think that this means a distance fight?
Am I ridiculous for thinking that Hughes has a chance in this one, Pete?? He’s been on a nice little run as of late against some decent guys including a former world champion, albeit a blown-up featherweight.
I was just thinking the same. Maxi is on a nice run; If you take away the win against a mentally and physically compromised Teo, has George done much?
Getting whitewashed against Haney twice and close wins against Bet and Selby doesn’t make a great resume. I think Maxi is a live dog.
Don’ think so-has five losses and not much KO power. Kambosos pretty average as well but should have enough to beat this guy.
Only time he got f’d up was vs someone who wore Reyes gloves. As long as Kambosos isn’t wearing those, Hughes may not be psyched out. He like kept the Reyes gloves and showed them off about how much he hated the padding and feel to them. It was in a YouTube video.
I think he does have a chance. I always felt the stars aligned perfect for Kambosos when he fought Lopez. Lopez was overconfident and fought a fight that gave Kambosos a chance. Plus he was better at taking Lopez’s power then we thought which I also think caught Lopez off guard. Other then that, like Streetgang said…what else has he really done that separates him from Hughes? I maybe in the minority but I thought Selby beat him.
So yes I think Hughes could outpoint him. I am not sure if that is my pick but it is a reasonable outcome. Just to clarify when I earlier said it would go the distance I was referring to their KO % …that comment had nothing to do with the venue which I do not think will be relevant as to whether it goes the distance or not.
I remember the Selby fight and thinking it was close but Lee may have nicked it.
I will be pulling for Maxi, George has become a bit unbearable for me.
I think I might just take this week off and just save the excitement for next weekend
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The IBF’s 38th Annual Convention will kick off this weekend at The Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, in Chicago, Illinois from May 28 – June 1, 2023. After 38 years, the organization will be returning to the Midwest to celebrate the IBF’s 40th year. The IBF celebrated its 2nd Annual Convention in Dearborn, Michigan in 1985 and a return to the region is long overdue. “We are excited for this milestone event and are looking forward to gathering with the boxing community in Chicago and the Midwest,” said IBF President Daryl Peoples.
During the convention the IBF hosts several events and seminars. Notably, the IBF also presents annual awards at each convention, and proudly announces its top award recipients for 2022 to be presented at the Awards Banquet closing the organization’s convention festivities on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The IBF is proud to announce some of it’s top awards for 2022 in anticipation of the upcoming convention.
Jersey Joe Walcott Award
The Jersey Joe Walcott Award, the organization’s highest honor, will go to Naoya Inoue. In spectacular fashion, Inoue unified the Bantamweight division with a second-round knockout win over Nonito Donaire. Naoya won the IBF title in 2019 and defended six times.
Female Fighter of the Year
Receiving the IBF Female Fighter of the Year Award is Chantelle Cameron who unified the Female Jr. Welterweight division. Cameron put on an exciting performance when she beat Undisputed Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill by unanimous decision and became the Undisputed Champion in the division.
Fight of the Year
IBF– Sivenathi Nontshinga vs. Hector Flores
Female – Katie Taylor vs. Amada Serrano
Intercontinental – Mark Heffron vs. Lennox Clarke
USBA – Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova
Jessica McCaskill and Murodjon Akhmadaliev are recieving Championship Rings for 3 successful title defenses.
“We proudly celebrate the notable achievements and remarkable careers of our champions, and the boxers that participated in IBF title fights. These are very well-deserved distinctions as all these fighters have worked incredibly hard to attain these accomplishments. We look forward to celebrating them,” noted Daryl Peoples.
Big weekend coming up with four of the top welterweights not named Terence Crawford or Errol Spence seeing action.
FRIDAY
DAZN kicks things off with unbeaten WBO #3, WBA #11, WBC #12 super middleweight Diego Pacheco (18-0, 15 KOs) will take on Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KOs) from the Cintermex in Monterrey, NL, Mexico. Pacheco is a 20:1 favorite.
SATURDAY
DAZN is back for the second consecutive night with a mouth-watering clash between unbeaten WBA regular welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) and WBA #1 Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Ortiz is a 4:1 favorite to dethrone Stanionis.
Showtime delivers undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) defending against IBF top-rated Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Ennis is a 13:1 favorite.
ESPN+ offers up exciting former world champion and current WBC #2 super bantamweight Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) against Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) from the fairground in Metepec, Mexico (90 minutes west of Mexico City). Nery is a 12:1 favorite.
Stanionis vs Ortiz is a cracking matchup. I wonder if Virgil’s momentum will be disrupted by illness. I guess we’ll see on Saturday.
Not anymore because Ortiz pulled out with his fake disease of not being able to make weight again. He did this last minute again to the Lithuanian. He should be sued and banned from the sport. Scumbag!
One of these days Boots is gonna walk all over Crawford and Spence. There’s starting to be a lot of buzz on how good Boots is, but I think he’s even better than advertised. Like Spence and Crawford, he boxes on a different level and has an extremely high boxing IQ as they say. It’s not just his speed, power, experience, and skills; he’s a thinking man and knows exactly what he’s doing. I just hope he doesn’t continue to be avoided.
The thing with boots is he seems to leave himself open for shots. Hopefully he corrects that.
Kris…I have to agree with you about Boots….Boots is “special”…..of course time could change that…but watching his fight against Karen Chukhadzhian…studying that fight …I saw something special…and Karen is as tough fighter and Karen maybe a future world champion..very good skills…guys In my opinion Boots is really good…on that level of “special”….
Best of luck to both stanionis and Ortiz. I like both so I’ll be happy for the winner and bummed out for the loser.
SATURDAY
Showtime delivers undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) defending against IBF top-rated Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs).
– Not shown on the FightNews “Upcoming TV Fights”.
ESPN+ offers up exciting former world champion and current WBC #2 super bantamweight Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) against Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) from the fairground in Metepec, Mexico (90 minutes west of Mexico City). Nery is a 12:1 favorite.
– Same as above.
– I see FightNews added these bouts to their schedule…..
I’ll be watching the Ennis vs Villa fight as I do not have DAZN, but subscribe to SHO. Can’t go wrong either one, two solid fights. Boots vs. Ortiz, make it happen powerbrokers after they both come out victorious this weekend.
I think Stanionis – Ortiz has the potential to be a fight of the year candidate. That match has seemed cursed with all the postponements, but barring a blowout either way (which I don’t see happening but is possible), I don’t know how those two get together without it being a great fight.
Sooner or later one of the top guys at welterweight will have to face Ennis, now, if Ortiz defeat Stanionis many will be asking for Ortiz vs Ennis, exceopt Oscar DE La Hoya, no way that will happen.If not the Crawford vs Spence winner, but rather the winner of Thurman vs Ugas could be excellent
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