Hearn & Warren agree 'five v five' Saudi fight card

Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing have agreed to a five-versus-five event to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Boxers from the two promotional outfits will be pitted against each other, with the date and card to be announced during the Francis Ngannou v Anthony Joshua fight week in early March.

Rival promoters Warren and Hearn had, until last year, reportedly never met.

"It's time to settle the score, who's getting bragging rights?" said Warren.

The rivalry between Britain's two biggest promotional companies in the sport dates back to the 1980s, when Hearn's father Barry was at the helm for Matchroom.

The idea was first suggested by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority, during the Joshua-Ngannou news conference in London on Monday, prompting Warren and Hearn to shake hands.

Fans on social media have being speculating on potential match-ups, hoping the deal could pave the way for a long-awaited contest between British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Joshua.

WBC champion Fury - who faces Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh on 17 February - is promoted by Warren, while Joshua - who takes on Ngannou in the Saudi capital on 8 March - is a Matchroom fighter.

A light-heavyweight contest between Queensberry's Anthony Yarde and Matchroom's Callum Smith is also being mooted.

The five-versus-five card will form part of 'Riyadh Season' - an entertainment events festival held every winter since its launch in 2019 which has hosted a number of high profile boxing events.

The 2023-24 Riyadh Season launched with Fury's heavyweight contest with Ngannou in October and will close with Joshua-Ngannou.

The 'Day of Reckoning' card on 23 December, headlined by Joshua, also took place in Riyadh.

The World Snooker Tour has announced a first TV event in Saudi Arabia will be held during Riyadh Season.

It continues Saudi Arabia's investment in sport, although the nation has long been criticised for using sport to deflect conversation away from its poor human rights record.

Football's Saudi Pro League has experienced huge investment with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane among the players to move.

There has also been significant investment in golf with the LIV Golf setup, Formula 1 races have been held there in the past three seasons, and tennis have signed a five-year deal for the Next Gen ATP finals to be held in Jeddah.