By Elliot Worsell
GIVE a man a dog and there is a limit to the things the man can get the dog to do, regardless of the animal’s obedient nature and inherent desire to please. However, give the man a treat and there will be very few things the dog won’t do to win it.
This is something that will be seen in countless parks across the country and is also something we are currently seeing happen with boxing promoters in Saudi Arabia. In fact, suddenly now, after years of trying to give the fans what they want, boxing promoters are finally delivering and, in doing so, making up for the false promises and disappointments.
“But why now?” you might ask. Well, in response to that, I would present this: because they can finally smell the treat in their owner’s pocket. Finally, after having wanted for so long to be rewarded for their efforts, that is exactly what is happening and why, furthermore, they now volunteer their paw, flop onto their stomachs and roll over, all at once. instances of The Man with the Deepest Pockets and the Largest Collection of Candy.
The man, in this case, is the ambitious Turki Al-Sheikh, arguably the most powerful man in boxing right now. Known to all as “His Excellency,” Al-Sheikh has taken the sport by the throat in recent months, as well as doing the same with its so-called power players, and has given it a deep shake until all it has to offer is eyes. puppy-like and a somewhat pathetic whine; a kind of “please help me” cry.
Meanwhile, the promoters, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, also used to be two of the most powerful men in boxing before not long ago they realized what true power meant and, instead of fighting for it, they simply accepted their limitations and gave in to him. Now, perhaps wisely, they compete for their owner’s affections and, if he asks for it, think nothing of sniffing each other’s butts if they consider it a reward-worthy trick.
Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren fight for attention while Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou face off (DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
The last trick they asked them for, by the way, is interesting; the most unexpected. It doesn’t require either of you to hold hands or look lovingly into each other’s eyes, but it’s something much more daring and exciting than that. Sexier too.
“I want to see Eddie Hearn against Frank Warren,” Al-Sheikh, the man in charge of the treats, said at this afternoon’s (January 15) press conference in London. “Five against five!”
Until the mention of “five against five”, you would have been forgiven for thinking that Al-Sheikh, having lulled them both into a false sense of security, now wanted to see Warren and Hearn fight in the ring. Not only that, given that Al-Sheikh invariably gets what he wants from the boxing establishment, there’s a good chance that Warren and Hearn, if asked, would have happily put on the gloves and prepared to fight each other on the 8th. March, the night Anthony Joshua has a fight. boxing match against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
However, by mentioning “five against five” Al-Sheikh introduced a much more tempting perspective into the process. By mentioning “five against five,” what he was suggesting was that Warren pick five of his boxers and Hearn pick five of his and that both promoters pit these boxers against each other in one night, on the same card. . In other words, he was suggesting something that boxing fans had been desperate to see happen for a long time, only to always be told that boxing policy would forever prevent fights between promotional rivals.
This, for Al-Sheikh, is neither an obstacle nor an excuse. In fact, rather than simply proposing the idea of Warren’s five versus Hearn’s five, he even had them shake hands, meaning it’s likely to become a reality sometime in 2024.
In light of this, and how easy it is for him to get them to jump, one begins to wonder what else the indomitable Al-Sheikh can accomplish with his two favorite promoters this year and beyond. We also wonder what can be achieved more generally, with so many treats for everyone and so many hungry dogs.
