Since its opening to the west of the King Abdullah Sports City in June 2021, the Jeddah Super Dome that will host Anthony Joshua’s shot at revenge over Oleksandr Usyk has been promoted as a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s sporting growth.
The venue set a world record courtesy of a roof that spans more than 689ft — the largest ever for a dome of its kind — and hosted the seventh WWE wrestling event in the country as part of a 10-year partnership with the promotion.
Boxing, too, is about to visit the 35,000-capacity setting in the latest fight to be held in Saudi Arabia.
Who has fought in the country before? What happened in Joshua’s previous fight there? Here are some of the blockbuster events the country has put on.
WATCH ON DAZN: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2
George Groves vs. Callum Smith, September 2018
The World Boxing Super Series crown and the WBA super-middleweight title were on the line when English fighters George Groves and Callum Smith clashed at the Sports City.
“This could be the start of something big down there,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said of Saudi Arabia at the time. “There’s not a promoter on this planet of any meaning who hasn’t traveled down to that region to try to put on boxing.”
Sauerland compared the event to ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974, when Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman, and the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ a year later, when Ali and Joe Frazier met in a trilogy bout in the Philippines.
Groves had taken part in one of the most heavily attended British fights of all time when he lost to Carl Froch in their rematch at Wembley Stadium in 2014, and the Londoner was knocked out by Liverpudlian Smith in the seventh round in Saudi Arabia.
Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua, December 2019
A replacement opponent, Andy Ruiz’s failure to win his only world title challenge three years earlier had not left too many expecting an upset when the American originally faced Joshua in New York in June 2019.
In a seismic shock, Joshua was troubled almost from the start by a fighter who appeared notably his athletic inferior, with the fight waved off in the seventh round to set up a huge rematch that took place at the Diriyah Arena that December.
Heading to Saudi Arabia was remarkably lucrative for both fighters. Joshua is thought to have earned around $60 million (£49.2 million) from the second scrap.
Rather than trade with the demonstrably dangerous Ruiz, Joshua boxed cleverly to regain his titles, carefully avoiding firepower to earn a unanimous decision in the ‘Clash on the Dunes’.
Ruiz later spoke of his regret over his lifestyle and weight gain between the fights, but many fans felt an affinity with the likeable underdog who had shown understandable fallibility amid the riches that came with one of the greatest and most conclusive upsets of all time.
Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk, August 2022
In his 20th professional fight, Usyk will defend the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles he won from Joshua at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021.
The Ukrainian beings an unbeaten record to a bout on August 20 that has been dubbed ‘Rage on the Red Sea’.
Smith is part of the undercard this time, facing 2016 Olympic Games bronze medalist Mathieu Bauderlique.
MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2: What’s next for AJ after the Saudi Arabia heavyweight title showdown?
Somali boxer Ramla Ali will also feature in the first women’s professional match ever to be held in Saudi Arabia, taking on Dominican Crystal Garcia Nova in her seventh fight.
The 32-year-old model, author and activist for racial equality is managed by Joshua and became the first boxer from her country to take part in the Olympics in 2021.
Which other international sporting events have been held in Saudi Arabia?
An increasing number of notable sporting events have been held in Saudi Arabia. British driver Lewis Hamilton won the country’s first ever Formula One Grand Prix in December 2021, and reigning champion Max Verstappen won the second the following March.
The King Abdullah International Stadium, King Saud University Stadium, King Fahd International Stadium, Mohammed Abdu Arena and the Super Dome have all hosted WWE events since 2018.
Real Madrid have won both editions of the four-team Supercopa de Espana played in Saudi Arabia, beating Atletico Madrid on penalties at the King Abdullah International Stadium in January 2020 and Athletic Bilbao at the King Fahd International Stadium two years later.
The Supercoppa Italiana has also been staged twice in Saudi Arabia in recent seasons. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal as Juventus beat AC Milan at King Abdullah Sports City in January 2019, and the Bianconeri were beaten 3-1 by Lazio a year later at King Saud University Stadium.
The penultimate round of the eight-event LIV Golf Invitational Series will be held at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in October, and the Saudi Cup — the world’s richest horse race, with a purse of $20m — has been held annually since 2020 .