Boxer Tyson Fury (right) and Oleksandr Usyk (left) face off during a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 19, 2024 ahead of the WBA, WBO, and WBC heavyweight title bout between Britain's Tyson Fury and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk
A MAN with a point to prove is a dangerous animal, and especially so when it comes to professional boxing. Tyson Fury arrived in Riyadh at the start of this week as precisely that, having spent the last twelve weeks in a closed training camp in Malta preparing for his rematch against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk.
Saudi Arabia is where he experienced the first loss of a ring career which began in 2008, and Saudi Arabia is where he has arrived determined to avenge it. Saudi Arabia is also where people still get their heads chopped off one after the other in the name of criminal justice.
So now we have a hugely hyped boxing rematch on our hands. The usual boxing circus has rolled into town in the name not of sporting integrity, but money and mammon. The torture tables are full in Riyadh and so is the bullshit. Talk of repeat or revenge has been all the rage, as grown men — grown men, grant you — demean themselves in public and on camera with “His excellency” this and “His excellency” that. A small “e” will suffice for such a small man of such wealth.
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