On Saturday night in Riyadh, an evening of boxing dubbed as the “Fight Card of the Century” will take centre stage inside the 15-month-old Kingdom Arena. Headlining is the undisputed championship light-heavyweight rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, supported chiefly by the IBF heavyweight title contest involving Great Britain’s Daniel Dubois and the New Zealander Joseph Parker.
There are five other bouts – including an all-British light‑heavyweight fight between Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith – but all of them will be contested by men, raising concern among a number of prominent voices in women’s boxing.
“We’ve seen such a positive growth of women’s boxing over the past couple of years, it would be a shame for that bubble to burst,” says the Norfolk-born featherweight Raven Chapman in the buildup to Saudi Arabia’s latest boxing bonanza.
“It [women’s boxing] has certainly slowed down over the last six months. Whether that is due to more control over the fight schedule from the Saudis, it is hard to comment.”
In October, the 31-year-old Briton became one of only four women to contest a professional boxing bout in Saudi Arabia, challenging Australia’s Skye Nicolson for the WBC featherweight world title.
“It’s a bit disappointing that there hasn’t been other women on these Saudi cards. Especially on what is supposed to be the ‘biggest card of all time’. There are plenty of big fights across the women’s divisions that could have been made – think of names like Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano and big fights like Mikaela Mayer v Sandy Ryan.
“There will be so much excitement and attention on this card in Riyadh, it’s just a shame that there will be no eyes on a women’s fight. I guess it’s down to us, as women, to keep fighting for these opportunities.”
Chapman isn’t the only one in the sport raising concern. The American Claressa Shields is considered one of the pound-for-pound stars in the women’s code, and the unbeaten 29-year-old directed her concerns on X towards Turki Alalshikh, the chair of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority which is bankrolling the Riyadh Season events.
“Don’t forget about the women, Turki,” she posted in mid-January. “We love this sport too and want to make the biggest and best fights.”
Malissa Smith, a boxing historian and author of The Promise of Women’s Boxing, has also been vocal with her concerns. “It feels like a token gesture, previously having women on the card,” she said in reference to the fight last year between Chapman and Nicholson. “Skye Nicolson’s next defence will be next month in Sydney, Australia. My question is, if she is now a Riyadh Season champion, where is her return engagement? Her promoter, Matchroom Boxing, is represented on the card, so why isn’t she?
“And yes, one should concede that other fighters from the October card are not represented, but the question still remains. Why isn’t she or any other women’s boxing champion – especially given the smorgasbord of promoters from the UK and USA – included this weekend?”
Representatives for the Riyadh Season declined to comment on the lack of female participation this weekend. There have been some green shoots of boxing participation from women in Saudi Arabia – whether this translates into turning professional and boxing as part of these multimillion-pound events is yet to be seen.
Chapman admits to being impressed by what she saw in Riyadh in terms of facilities and accessibility, citing “five or six young girls training inside the Mike Tyson Boxing Club”. The only complication she encountered was a lack of shared training spaces for male and female fighters – something for which her all-male team had to find a solution in order to prepare for her contest.
Since 2018, women have been able to drive in Saudi Arabia and, since 2019, women older than 21 no longer need their guardian’s approval to access healthcare, education and state services, take up a job or make their own medical decisions about pregnancy and birth.
Amnesty International, however, continues to scrutinise the legitimacy of the progress on women’s rights. Salma al-Shehab, 36, a Leeds University PhD student and mother of two, was arrested in 2021 and detained for four years on terrorism-related charges for posting tweets in support of women’s rights. She was released this month.
Chapman is positive that she will be able to earn more opportunities in the sport. Her next fight at the Royal Albert Hall will in fact be financed by the Riyadh Season.
“The money and exposure that fighting in Saudi Arabia [generates] is obviously great, but it isn’t the be‑all and end-all,” she says.
“I am certain we will all find venues and platforms to box on, and in some ways – like on 7 March at the Royal Albert Hall – it will provide gaps for us to gain more attention and recognition fighting at home.”
