- Promoter hits back at claims of sportswashing at big fight
- ‘I’ll play the anthem if they want … at every show’
Eddie Hearn would be willing to play the Saudi Arabian anthem at every fight if the country bankrolling boxing asked him to do so, amid further accusations the Gulf kingdom was attempting to sportswash its reputation as a repressive regime.
There was criticism over the decision to play the anthem before Saturday’s heavyweight fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua at Wembley. The fight was part of the Riyadh Season series backed by the nation’s General Entertainment Authority under the chairmanship of Turki Alalshikh, an adviser in Saudi Arabia’s royal court.