Boxing

Boxing fans react to silent crowd in Riyadh: “You could hear a pin drop”

Joe Lyons Sports Editor

Published21 Dec 2024

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Boxing fans were less than impressed with the atmosphere in Riyadh throughout the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk card.

s on X (formerly Twitter) were critical of the noise inside the Kingdom Arena, which has become famous for its lack of enthusiasm over the years.

Some fans wrote:

@andeckitt: That crowd in #Riyadh is so embarrassing. You could hear a pin drop
@Trrymc_: Tell the crowd in Riyadh there’s gonna be a beheading after the fight and the atmosphere might pick up
@LiamWinstanley3: Just watching this fight in Riyadh. Literally no-one is watching it in the crowd. They are all on their phones

Fans have slammed the often described as ‘soulless’ atmosphere for boxing events in Saudi Arabia – which usually attract plenty of high-profile figures in the front rows – but can’t attract a decent crowd.

Riyadh Season now dominate most of the top boxing fights on the planet and if the fights aren’t held in the Middle East, they’re still held under Saudi control.

Fury reportedly banked at least £50 million for his fight against MMA legend Francis Ngannou last year and the money Saudi can offer is often much too tempting for promoters.

Anthony Joshua pocketed £30 million for his bout with Ngannou and you’ll commonly see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho ringside in Riyadh but that doesn’t do much for the vibe.

When you consider the differences between Riyadh and for example Las Vegas in of atmosphere, it goes to show that there is monumental work to be done in that department.

Most of the locals in Riyadh are generally unaware and unbothered by boxing, which shouldn’t be anywhere near the case considering the level of talent on display.

Promoters like Frank Warren have been discussing ways to increase the noise for years, but we’ve seen little progress on that front and it remains a dire watch.