Saudi boxing authorities expect ‘Rage on the Red Sea’ to fuel big increase in the sport’s popularity

JEDDAH: British boxer Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk from Ukraine will face off against each other in the ring again on Aug. 20 in Jeddah. The rematch, dubbed “Rage on the Red Sea,” was formally announced on Tuesday during a press conference in the Saudi coastal city.

Usyk came out on top by a unanimous decision in the pair’s previous bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last September.

Abdullah Al-Harbi, president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, told Arab News that the rematch will focus more international attention on the Kingdom and boost its efforts to establish itself as a major hub for global sports and entertainment events.

There have been a number of developments in the Kingdom’s boxing scene, he said, since the last major event was held in the country, the “Clash on the Dunes” between Joshua and American fighter Andy Ruiz Jr. in Diriyah in December 2019.

That high-profile event inspired hundreds of people in Saudi Arabia to take up the sport, Al-Harbi revealed, with the result that the number of boxers registered with the federation increased by 300 percent from 300 to 1,200, while the number of boxing clubs also increased significantly.

“They were only four clubs and today we have 32,” he said, adding that “we look forward to the event (in August), which will increase those numbers and increase participation in boxing” in the Kingdom.

Al-Harbi said it is important to encourage more young Saudis become involved in boxing, and sports in general, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and diversification plan, one of the aims of which is to empower the nation’s youth in a variety of fields.

“We know that youths make up 60 percent of the Kingdom’s population,” he