THE World Boxing Council has recognised Saudi Arabia’s impact on boxing by adding the country’s national flag to its logo.
It is only the second time in the WBC’s 62-year-history that the sanctioning body has amended its emblem.
Riyadh now rivals Las Vegas as boxing’s fight capital thanks to a plethora of big fights, particularly in the heavyweight division, which have landed in the Middle East.
An announcement on their website said, “The World Boxing Council (WBC) has today announced an update to its corporate logo. This redesign reflects the dynamic changes in the global boxing landscape and the inclusion of new nations within the WBC family.
“The new WBC logo incorporates several significant elements that symbolize this new era in the organization’s history. The growing influence of Saudi Arabia in the world of boxing is
reflected in its inclusion as a new member in the WBC logo.”
On February 22 Artur Beterbiev, 21-0 (20 KOs), and Dmitry Bivol, 23-1 (12 KOs), meet at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena for the second time in five months for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown. Beterbiev holds the edge over his rival having out-pointed him in October to take home all four world titles after a compelling contest.
Both men are Russian nationals and in November 2022, nine months after the country’s invasion of Ukraine, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman and the Council blocked championship fights involving Russian and Belarusian fighters.
“The WBC will not sanction any fights in those two countries and no national citizen from those two countries can compete for a WBC championship title,” Sulaiman said at the time.
“The WBC believes in peace, believes in fair play, and believes human dignity.”
In June 2023 Sulaiman reaffirmed his stance telling Izquierdazo, “At this moment, we can not sanction a fight where (Dmitry) Bivol is involved.”
Artur Beterbiev was not mentioned, however, because of his Canadian citizenship.
The WBC eventually relaxed their stance to allow an undisputed champion to be crowned and on their website reported various updates on the first fight’s rescheduling after Beterbiev had suffered a meniscus injury postponing their original June 1 date.
It remains to be seen whether the WBC will alter their stance on Russian and Belarusian athletes during 2025 following the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch.
