Quote Originally Posted by mrbig1 View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing View Post
Just thinking here. Fury and Usyk both win the rematches. You then have two undefeated fighters fighting for all the marbles. Saudi want a globally significant event and it doesn't get much better than that and the money they put up for the fight will reflect that, it'll be at least what they were going to pay for Fury Joshua at the start of the year. Better global interest than two guys from the same country, one of whom managed to get knocked out by the Michelin Man.
i disagree my friend. Fury vs AJ doesn't get any bigger than that. Fury is so much bigger than Usyk no one would give him a chance. The big money fights are gone. If AJ wins the rematch the damage has already been done.

From the Saudi/money point of view Wilder against Fury or Joshua or Usyk is significantly bigger than any combination of the last three. Saudi want an event with global significance that associates Saudi Arabia with something positive instead of people associating them with being a horrific repressive tyranny run by a bunch of backwards savages. The term they came up with for this is "sportswashing", using sport and all the noble and positive aspects it has in the minds of people and using it to uh, throw a veil over the reality in Saudi. Most sports won't touch them with a bargepole but of course this is professional boxing......

They'd especially like to sportswash themselves in America and improve their country's standing with American public opinion and having an American fighting for and winning the undisputed title in a Saudi ring would be their dream come true.