Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk is the talk of the sporting world, but the location of the fight is one that won't get spoken about too much.
The Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia, is the venue for the rematch between Fury and Usyk on 21 December.
This venue hosted the first match between the pair, but it's currently becoming known as a versatile sporting venue, hosting football, boxing, and MMA, and it is already in its first year of operation. The venue is also called Boulevard Arena.
Kingdom Arena: A versatile sporting oasis
On Saturday evening, the Kingdom Arena will host a huge boxing match, but the venue will host a number of major sporting events. The stadium was built to host football matches, of which it has hosted five in 2024.
It hosted two of Inter Miami's matches when they came to Saudi Arabia and Al Hilal vs Al Nassr match in February 2024. Later, it hosted Al Ahly vs Zamalek in the CAF Super Cup and Al-Ahli vs Al-Shabab in the SAFF Women's Cup final.
Despite football being the venue's focus, boxing has quickly taken over as the venue's main attraction. Since it was opened in 2023, it has hosted seven boxing matches:
- 28 October 2023 – Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou
- 23 December 2023 – Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin
- 8 March 2024 – Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou
- 18 May 2024 – Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
- 1 June 2024 – Queensberry vs Matchroom (5v5)
- 12 October 2024 – Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
- 21 December 2024 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II
The stadium can accommodate 30,000 people, though it holds 27,000 fans for football. The stadium currently hosts league games of Al Hilal SFC, the team most notable for European fans as being where Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic play.
Al Hilal are, however, expected to move into the ‘clifftop' stadium once it is constructed ahead of the 2036 Saudi Arabian World Cup.
The Kingdom Arena will not, however, be one of the host stadiums for the Saudi Arabian World Cup in 2036. This is likely due to the fact it is such a small venue compared to the ones planned for the World Cup. However, we expect it will play host to other events during the World Cup.
Tyson Fury didn't throw a single punch at his open workout ?#BBCBoxing #Usyk2Fury pic.twitter.com/q7Od4qkRZV
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 19, 2024
Future events
The year 2025 is set to be a busy one for the stadium, with it being set to host the semi-final and final stages of the Italian Cup. Inter Milan vs Atlanta and Juventus vs AC Milan are confirmed for 2 and 3 January, with the final taking place on 6 January. The Arena is also set to host Connor McGregor vs Dan Hooker, and the rematch between Arthur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
FGG says: A new venue set to shine
It's only been open for a year, but the Kingdom Arena has become a hit with the boxing and football world. While it plays host to regular league matches, we suspect that going forward, it will be opened up to host more events.
Saudi Arabia has made big plays in tennis, esports, snooker, and chess in recent times, so the Kingdom Arena is likely to see more action as time goes on.