“I think that’s something we’re going to look at next year,” said Smith to ESBR Boxing.
The inaugural event took place in Riyadh in June 2024 with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season behind it. Queensberry swept all five matchups, defeating Matchroom 10-0 under the competition’s scoring system.
That card was unusually expensive to assemble. Deontay Wilder fought Zhilei Zhang, Daniel Dubois met Filip Hrgovic, Hamzah Sheeraz faced Austin Williams, Nick Ball challenged Raymond Ford, and Willy Hutchinson boxed Craig Richards. Dmitry Bivol also defended against Malik Zinad on the same show.
Several of those fighters were capable of leading separate events. Saudi funding allowed the promoters to place them together without relying entirely on the gate or pay-per-view sales.
No comparable backing has been announced for a sequel. That is more concerning now, with Matchroom and Sela trying to resolve the Fury-Joshua venue addendum, while separate communications regarding outstanding payments and other business have become part of a public dispute.
Hearn denies that those additional issues were included in the Fury-Joshua addendum, but the distinction does not guarantee that Alalshikh wants to finance a renewed promotional competition.
Without a wealthy partner, the companies would need ticket sales, sponsorship, broadcasting rights, and pay-per-view revenue to cover five or seven major purses. No detailed audience figures or buy totals were released for the original event, leaving its commercial performance difficult to measure.
The promotional rivalry has its greatest value in Britain. American viewers may pay for recognizable fighters, but Hearn against Warren alone offers them little incentive. That Riyadh card had Wilder and several important title fights to attract an international audience. A British-heavy sequel would have a narrower reach.
There is also a career cost for the boxers. Losing a difficult fight halfway down a team card can damage future earnings and remove title opportunities without providing the exposure that comes with headlining. That risk makes little sense unless the fighter receives life-changing money.
Callum Smith against Joshua Buatsi had been discussed for a future edition, but Callum Smith’s ordered challenge against Bivol has taken that fight out of the immediate plans. Similar scheduling and title obligations will make it difficult to assemble five or seven suitable pairings.
Matchroom has sporting reasons to seek a rematch after its 2024 humiliation. The harder question is who pays for it. Unless outside funding returns, the team concept may be more expensive than its audience can support.
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