World Heavyweight Title: Fighters meet in Saudi Arabia ahead of clash

Photo courtesy of GSA

Ahead of the first-ever World Boxing Heavyweight title fight to be held in the Middle East, the fighters -- Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua -- met face-to-face in Saudi Arabia for the first time since their fight in New York back in June, the Center for International Communication (CIC) said in a statement.

The fight will be held on December 7, 2019 in Saudi Arabia as part of Diriyah Season.

In a press conference on Wednesday, September 4, held in the UNESCO heritage site of Diriyah, located on the outskirts of Riyadh, the pair squared off and vowed their battle would be a classic, the CIC statement added.

“As an Olympic champion I know that sports fans share the same deep passion wherever they are in the world. I’m expecting there to be incredible energy from the crowd and that gives you something extra in the ring, especially when you see the passion there is for sport in Saudi Arabia,” Former Unified World Heavyweight Champion and Olympic Gold medalist Anthony Joshua, said.

Unified World Heavyweight Ruiz Jr (33 wins to 1 loss with 22 knockouts) stopped Joshua to capture his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO World Titles in one of the biggest heavyweight upsets of all time at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1.

“I’ve said this before, and I will say it again. I dethroned the king back in June and made history becoming the first Mexican/American champion of the world. Now I get to be the first champion to defend World Heavyweight titles in the Middle East, whichever way you look at this, the Clash on the Dunes in Saudi Arabia will go down in history, that’s a fact,” he said.

The showdown will be staged in the Diriyah district close to Riyadh, home to At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage site that stands as a symbol of Saudi’s rich history, CIC statement added.

The rematch will be part of the Diriyah season hosted by the General Sports Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabia which will also include the second Formula E Championship to be hosted in the Kingdom.