NO HOLDS BARRED

We started discussing the Saudi boxing takeover and the secretive, proposed new global "league" or governing body, that already has seen numerous conflicts of interest, for example with certain fighters being favored as Riyadh Season ambassadors. We discussed how many of the internationally accepted principles of good governance are already being violated. And we discussed the case of Egyptian worker Ahmed Mohamed Omar, who was reportedly given a 19-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia for a tweet he made criticizing Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh about football, and what this means for boxing.

So far, all the Riyadh Season-sponsored boxing shows have featured only men's boxing, even though women have previously boxed on professional and amateur cards in Saudi Arabia. This includes announced fights for their shows on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, Sept. 21 in London, and Oct. 12 and Dec. 21 in Riyadh. We discussed how what the Saudis are doing by excluding women is deleterious both to women's boxing and to boxing as a whole.

Plus, we also discussed the upcoming congress of the Asian Boxing Confederation where they will vote on whether to join World Boxing, the fight to save Olympic boxing, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/95aGIbbXxEs .

This show was recorded June 30, 2024.