Boxing’s biggest ever card in its most controversial location

It’s arguably the most important card in boxing historical past — and never simply because a spherical dozen of the fighters are heavyweights.

Full card:

Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, 12 rounds, heavyweight

Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, 12 rounds, heavyweight

Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur, 12 rounds, WBA mild heavyweight title

Daniel Dubois vs Jarrell Miller, 12 rounds, heavyweight

Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro, 12 rounds, The Ring cruiserweight title

Filip Hrgovic vs Mark De Mori, 10 rounds, heavyweight

Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel, 12 rounds, heavyweight

Frank Sanchez vs Junior Fa, 10 rounds, heavyweight

Boxing’s pre-Christmas spectacular brings collectively an unprecedented alliance of adversarial promoters and their heavyweight stars on one blockbuster night time.

And one of many headliners is Australian world champion Jai Opetaia.

Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs), who’s the primary cruiserweight on the planet regardless of being ludicrously stripped of his IBF belt, will defend his Ring Journal cruiserweight belt for the second time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, towards unbeaten British fighter Ellis Zorro (17-0, 7 KOs) on Christmas Eve (AEDT) — however that is solely part of it.

The truth is, six of The Ring journal’s prime 10 heavyweights will likely be in motion on a card billed as The Day of Reckoning, alongside Opetaia and world light-heavyweight (79.4kg restrict) champion Dmitry Bivol.

Of the dozen heavyweights on the cardboard, simply two are usually not ranked within the prime 10 of at the very least one of many 4 main sanctioning our bodies, whereas three are former world champions.

These three clever males heading into the Center East at Christmas are all headliners in their very own proper, as are the 2 different world champions on the cardboard, however on December 23 they’ll come collectively for the frequent good.

AJ and Wilder lastly share a hoop, however not in the identical combat

The bumper card is headlined by former unified world champion Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs), who will face the damaging Swede Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs).

New Zealand’s former WBO belt holder Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) takes on the “Bronze Bomber” and former WBC champ Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) within the co-main occasion, because the latter appears to be like to place himself again within the body for a shot on the world title he misplaced when struggling back-to-back defeats towards Tyson Fury.

In fact, the massive combat could be between the Brit and the American, who by some means managed to keep away from combating one another for the 1,148 days they had been each world champions, and the 427 days the place they held all 4 belts between them.

Considerably belatedly, given neither man holds any of the 4 main belts, we’re instructed that combat is coming, however boxing followers have been promised loads of issues prior to now that haven’t come to go.

Regardless, the very fact they’re combating in the identical venue on the identical time is a step ahead.

Behind these fights although, there’s nonetheless lots to be occupied with.

The WBA (common) champ Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs), who continues to be steaming after he felt he ought to have earned a knockout victory over reigning unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, is taking up American Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs).

Miller, who was denied a shot at Joshua’s unified belts in 2019 resulting from a failed drug check, has already poked the bear on the announcement press convention, resulting in a heated alternate.

And no surprise. Miller’s late alternative was Andy Ruiz Jr, who shocked Joshua at Madison Sq. Backyard and set in movement a sequence of occasions that might see the 2012 Olympic gold medallist lose his golden lustre.

Joshua thinks Miller irreparably broken his profession. He most likely has some extent.

The ‘different’ Aussie on the cardboard

The Australian focus will justifiably be on Opetaia, however there’s one other Australian on this monster card.

The IBF’s primary heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) of Croatia will combat 41-year-old West Australian veteran Mark de Mori (41-2-2, 36 KOs).

De Mori, who primarily based himself in Break up, Croatia, for various years earlier than returning to WA not too long ago, has fought on large playing cards earlier than, albeit with restricted success.

He was knocked out within the first spherical towards former undisputed cruiserweight champion David Haye at The O2 in London again in 2016.

Additionally on the cardboard is New Zealand’s Junior Fa (20-2, 11 KOs), who takes on Cuba’s unbeaten Frank Sánchez (23-0, 17 KOs).

Rounding out the heavyweights is a battle between two unbeaten stars, WBC silver champion Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) from Russia, and German Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KOs), a two-time European champion.

Then there’s unbeaten WBA world light-heavyweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) — one in every of two males to (formally) beat all-time nice Saul Canelo Álvarez — who’s in motion towards British IBF champion Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs).

It is a stellar card, and Opetaia is nicely price his place on it.

“There is a large a part of me that is so grateful to be a part of this card however I’ve earned my spot right here,” Opetaia instructed Matchroom Sport when the combat was introduced.

“[Against Zorro] I’ll present why I am one of the best cruiserweight on the planet and the king of the division.

“That is what I do.”

Saudi shift for big-event boxing

It could be what Opetaia does, however placing on reveals like this isn’t usually what boxing does.

Sometimes, occasions function one main headline act, sometimes as a co-main occasion, preceded by lower-ranked bouts between lesser fighters.

This has a collection of headline acts, back-to-back, in what would be the greatest card of the 12 months.

The Saudis have even doubled down by scheduling an undisputed heavyweight title combat in Riyadh between Usyk and Fury for all 4 main belts on February 17. This bout goals to crown the primary undisputed champion within the prime division since Lennox Lewis in 1999, and the primary ever within the four-belt period.

The explanation these fights are capable of happen in any respect is easy. Cash. All fighters want paying and every occasion solely generates a lot cash by way of pay-per-view and ticket gross sales, plus a venue charge.

In shifting occasions to Saudi Arabia, although, the primary two elements have grow to be near-negligible in comparison with the huge sums being supplied as a website charge.

It’s a part of a basic shift of main boxing occasions to the Center East, pushed by a need of Saudi authorities to reinforce their standing on the planet.

And it has been made attainable by unimaginable quantities of cash.

The latter issue being an enormous draw shouldn’t be a shock to anybody — boxing has all the time gone the place the cash is.

There is a cause tremendous fights as a rule happen in what is actually a pop-up metropolis in the course of the Nevada desert, and why the New Jersey resort of Atlantic Metropolis was so in style by the Seventies and 80s.

The commonality between these two places is, in fact, their money-printing casinos.

That, in fact, doesn’t make the shift to Saudi Arabia proper.

There stays a deeply problematic relationship with Saudi Arabia’s monetary outflow into sports activities promotion amidst a backdrop of restricted human rights for residents, not least the prevenance of the dying penalty, alleged torture of prisoners, and the controversial feminine guardianship legal guidelines.

However that is not restricted to boxing — Saudi Arabia has a rising, seen and controversial presence in golf and soccer, amongst others, with biking and tennis showing to be the subsequent sports activities to be added to the Public Funding Fund’s increasing portfolio.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated in September he doesn’t care about allegations of “sportswashing” towards the dominion and he’ll proceed funding sport if it provides to the nation’s gross home product (GDP).

Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its nationwide safety by its legal guidelines.

When is Day of Reckoning and the way can I watch?

You’ll be able to watch the pay-per-view card from 3am AEDT on Sunday, December 24 — that is Christmas Eve, in case you wanted reminding.

Throughout the nation that is 2:30am in South Australia, 2am in Queensland, 1:30am within the Northern Territory and midnight in Western Australia.

You will need to shell out a pay-per-view charge of $49.95 to look at the combat on Major Occasion through Kayo or Fox Sports activities.

Alternatively, you may comply with the motion within the ABC Sport stay weblog.