Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Heavyweights should ‘speak out’ about Saudi human rights

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have been encouraged to “speak out” about the “urgent need for human rights reform” in Saudi Arabia.

The rival champions fight in Riyadh on Saturday in the first undisputed heavyweight contest for nearly 25 years.

Saudi Arabia has paid huge sums to host the bout, which is the latest in a string of boxing events in the Kingdom.

But the country continues to face sportswashing and human rights violation claims and Amnesty International has said Fury and Usyk should “acknowledge the way that this fight fits into a pattern of Saudi sportswashing”.

“Boxing is very much part of the Saudi sportswashing strategy under Mohammed bin Salman, dating back to at least Anthony Joshua’s fight with Andy Ruiz in 2019,” said Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s economic affairs director.

“Glitzy events like Fury v Usyk are designed to rebrand Saudi Arabia as a ‘sporting hub’ while deflecting attention from the country’s jailing of women’s rights activists, suppression of free speech and rampant use of the death penalty.