“At the very same time that the Saudi sportswashing machine has cranked into high gear there’s been a widening crackdown on human rights defenders, including the recent 11-year jail sentence handed down against the fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi.
“The Leeds University student Salma al-Shehab has been jailed for 27 years for tweeting about women’s rights, while the retired teacher Mohammad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi faces execution for his peaceful remarks on Twitter and YouTube.”
Last year, Saudi Arabia sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal told BBC Sport their unprecedented investment in sport is to help inspire a youthful population to take up physical activity and exercise, open the country up to the international community, boost tourism, create jobs and provide sports federations with growth potential.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also said in September how sport had helped increase his country’s GDP by 1%.
Englishman Fury, 35, is the WBC champion and undefeated in 35 fights with one draw.
Ukraine’s Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring magazine titles and the 37-year-old has 21 wins and zero losses on his record.
Boxing is not the only sport Saudi Arabia has invested in heavily, with golf, tennis and F1 also staging massive events in the country.
