How Saudi Arabia Built the Andy Ruiz, JR Vs Anthony Joshua II Arena in Just Two Months

Andy Ruiz, JR Vs Anthony Joshua has dominated the boxing agenda in recent weeks. The rematch is a much-anticipated bout after Ruiz, JR. stunned Joshua in New York back in June. However, the fight is also charting interesting territory for boxing as the contest will be held in Saudi Arabia.

Major heavyweight boxing fights are usually held in venues steeped in the history of boxing. Madison Square Garden, the MGM Grand, and the Principality Stadium are all famed venues that have helped to define boxing. Saudi Arabia is hardly known for combat sports, so the country has had to build a bespoke arena just for the Ruiz, JR. Vs Joshua fight.

Predicting a winner of the bout is a tough task. Certainly, betting websites like apuestas deportivas online are mostly split on whether Joshua or Ruiz, JR. will emerge victoriously. Even more unpredictable is whether Saudi Arabia will host a spectacle and whether the new arena will be fit for a world-class fight.

Saudi Arabia has started to enter the realm of combat sports, most notably by hosting WWE events in recent years. However, for Ruiz, JR. Vs Joshua, the country built a whole arena from scratch, and did it in just two months!

With less than two weeks before the fight, officials for the event have started to showcase the venue that will play host. While clearly not as iconic has famed boxing venues, the purpose-built arena is a marvel of engineering in its own right.

Called the Diriyah Arena, the venue holds 15,000 people and as the name suggests is located in the town of Diriyah, which is a suburb of Riyadh. As the region is known as the home of heroes and kings, it is perhaps a fitting venue for a heavyweight title fight.

The arena is nestled in the ruins of the old city in Diriyah, where Saudi royal families of past used to live. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010 and will now enter the annals of boxing history.

Most fight fans know that a major fight needs to be held in a world-class venue to gain iconic status. Designers behind the Diriyah Arena have used the historic surroundings to create what is clearly a unique boxing venue.

One of the first unique differences is there are only three main stands instead of four. There is a fourth side to the arena, but it is disconnected and is where the VIP lounges, TV Studios, and changing rooms are located. Fighters will enter the ring from this smaller stand.

Somehow, Saudi authorities managed to build the state-of-the-art arena in just two months. Construction was underway by October 7 on a stretch of land that some described as a “carpark”. Somehow this flat piece of land has transformed into an arena fit to host the largest fight of the year, in just 7 weeks!

175 staff worked on the construction of Diriyah Arena, with 295 tons of steel used to frame the stands. If laid out end to end, all this steel would cover 35 miles.

Once the fight is over, taking down the arena will take a month, although designers say 95 percent of the materials are reusable.