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Ruiz – Joshua 2: Cash on the Dunes

Ruiz – Joshua 2: Cash on the Dunes
Now that Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz is in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on boxing’s next big heavyweight fight.
On August 9, promoter Eddie Hearn announced that the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz would take place on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Three days later, Hearn hosted a two-man press conference in London with Omar Khalil, managing partner of Skill Challenge Entertainment (the Saudi Kingdom’s “official event partner” that is putting up the money to bring the fight to Saudi Arabia). After Hearn’s opening statement, he engaged in a dialogue with Khalil who told those in attendance, “We’re a democracy of forty million people” and said that the event was part of a plan to “enhance the quality of life and overall wellbeing” of the Saudi people.
“We love what you’re doing here for sports,” Hearn responded. “This is how you grow the sport of boxing. The world will stand still to witness history in Saudi Arabia.”
Matt Christie (editor of Boxing News, the world’s longest running boxing publication) wrote of the announcement, “It’s hard to remember confirmation of such a highly anticipated showdown being so poorly received.”
Joshua’s career has been built on the adoration of British boxing fans, most of whom (like members of the boxing media) have little desire to travel to Saudi Arabia. Some employees of Sky Sport (which televises Joshua’s fights in the United Kingdom) and DAZN (which will stream the bout live in the United States) are also wary of going to Saudi Arabia.
More significantly, the choice of Saudi Arabia as the site for Ruiz-Joshua 2 has led to an outpouring of criticism from human rights groups and others who are concerned that the move plays into the Saudi Kingdom’s efforts to “sportswash” its dismal record on human rights.
Let’s start with some facts.
Saudi Arabia is not a democracy.
The National Democratic Institute (a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization founded in 1983) states, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has one of the most tightly controlled political systems in the world . . . Ordinary Saudis lack protections for the exercise of basic civil rights, including speech and association, and have limited opportunity to participate in the political process at the national level.”
The Economist’s 2018 Democracy Index ranks the Saudi government as the ninth-most authoritarian regime in the world among 169 countries listed.
Reporters Without Borders has described the Saudi government as “relentless in its censorship of the Saudi media and the Internet.” In 2019, it ranked Saudi Arabia 172nd out of 180 countries in its Press Freedom Index.
Saudi Arabia has played a troubling role in the ongoing war in Yemen.
Women in Saudi Arabia are relegated by law to second-class status.
Same-sex activity in Saudi Arabia is punishable by fines, imprisonment, and torture.
And the involvement of the Saudi government in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, is a matter of public record. It’s particularly troubling that, at the September 5, 2019, press conference in New York for Ruiz-Joshua 2, Eddie Hearn acknowledged the presence of Prince Khalid bin Salman, who had traveled to the United States for a meeting with officials of the Trump Administration. Prince Khalid has been named in reliable intelligence reports as having been complicit in Khashoggi’s murder.
Moreover, there are legitimate safety concerns related to holding Ruiz-Joshua 2 in Saudi Arabia.
The United States Department of State has four advisory levels for travelers:
Level 1 – Exercise Normal Precautions
Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution
Level 3 – Reconsider Travel
Level 4 – Do Not Travel
As of November 24, 2019, the State Department website had a “level 2” advisory for Saudia Arabia with the notation, “Exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism and the threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets . . . Terrorists have targeted both Saudi and Western government interests, mosques and other religious sites (both Sunni and Shia), and places frequented by U.S. citizens and other Westerners.”
The September 14 terrorist drone attacks on nineteen key Saudi Arabian oil facilities further undermined confidence in the safety of the Ruiz-Joshua 2 promotion.
But money talks. And the Saudi Kingdom has given the promotion a lot of money (estimates range from $40 million to $100 million) to bring the fight to Saudi Arabia. Eddie Hearn referenced this reality at the September 5 press conference in New York when he declared, “No other country can compete with the money that’s available for boxing in the Middle East. If I don’t do it, some other promoter would.”
Hearn has also referenced two fight cards previously contested in Saudi Arabia – the September 28, 2018, World Boxing Super Series final between Callum Smith and George Groves (before the murder of Jamal Khashoggi) and the July 12, 2019, event headlined by Amir Khan vs. Billy Dib.
Other thoughts offered by Hearn have included:
* “We really wanted to go somewhere who believed in the sport of boxing, that had a vision. We have to realize that there is another world out there outside of Cardiff and Madison Square Garden, and we have an obligation to grow the sport of boxing to new areas, to new regions. This event could change boxing forever because, if Saudi Arabia are going to invest in these kind of fights with the population that they have, with the potential to grow the sport of boxing, you could be seeing a big change in the dynamics of the sport. That’s something that really truly excites me.”
* “The world will stop to watch this fight. I’m telling you, this is another Thrilla in Manila. This is another Rumble in the Jungle. Trust me when I say, this is one of the biggest heavyweight events of all time.”
* “This [Saudi Arabia] is probably the safest place I’ve ever been to.”
Tickets for Joshua-Ruiz 2 went on sale on September 13. The top ticket price was listed at approximately $13,500.
There are political and economic reasons why the United States and United Kingdom do business in Saudi Arabia. But that doesn’t mean we should pretend that it’s a democracy or has the entertainment value of Disneyland.
In March of this year, Endeavor (which owns UFC) returned a $400 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and severed ties with the Kingdom to protest the role that the Saudi government played in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The absence of democracy in Saudi Arabia, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia’s role in the ongoing war in Yemen, and other issues involving the Kingdom should be weighed by the media in determining how to report on, and whether or not to attend, Ruiz-Joshua 2.
British journalist Kevin Mitchell spoke for many when he wrote in The Guardian, “This is about money, not morals – because the business does not do all that well with morals. Human rights abuse, the slaughter of innocent people in Yemen and the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi seem to have been no impediment to doing a deal with a regime so transparently desperate for international approval that ‘sportswashing’, as it has become known, is a central plank of their public relations platform.”
Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book — A Dangerous Journey: Another Year Inside Boxing — was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism.
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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.
Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.
Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.
The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.
In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.
Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.
Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.
From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.
“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”
Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.
Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”
Other Bouts
Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.
A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.
The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.
San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.
Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.
Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.
With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.
Co-Feature
Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.
Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.
Other Bouts of Note
New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.
In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.
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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.
It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.
Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.
In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.
The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.
As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.
Other Bouts of Note
In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.
Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.
A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.
It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.
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