Boxing Fan Has Evidence Joshua vs Dubois Attendance Far LOWER Than Claimed

Riyadh Season, and more specifically, Turki Alalshikh have truly injected major life into boxing by being the driving force behind getting many great boxers to face each other, which is what the fans have always craved. Alalshikh has always been a fan-first promoter.

When Alalshikh was questioned by the boxing community about having so many events in Saudi Arabia, he quickly organized back-to-back events in Los Angeles and then London. The UK event was a massive meeting of two heavyweights held inside the cavernous Wembley Stadium.

While the result of the fight between former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and fellow Briton boxer Daniel Dubois was crystal clear, there’s a bit of confusion regarding the actual fan attendance. Originally reported as record-setting by Alalshikh, new information has surfaced that could contradict the powerful Saudi financier.

Turki Alalshikh’s Influence in Boxing

Everything the promoter touches turns to gold

It’s undeniable that Alalshikh’s involvement in boxing has restructured the sport. From putting on epic fights to bringing together rival promoters to work together, the Saudi sports pioneer has given fans of combat sports a breath of fresh air. For a few decades, boxing was deprived of seeing the best vs the best on a frequent basis, and since Alalshikh’s entrance into the fray, it feels like almost we’re getting a ridiculous good fight to obsess over each and every month.

This month’s premiere fight, for instance, is a fantastic match up between two undefeated fighters that has the makings to be a true masterpiece in Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitriy Bivol to determine the undisputed champion at light heavyweight.

The above heavily-produced trailer is yet another example of how Alalshikh and his team are changing the game. These hype videos have really captured the essence of fight culture.

Alalshikh And Hearn Claimed Attendance of 98,128

Alalshikh’s original report is now under question

Alalshikh has been can’t-miss with all the good that he’s done, but he may have gotten himself tangled in his own promoter-speak. Following the major success of Joshua-Dubois, Alalshikh and Eddie Hearn posted that the inaugural Riyadh Season event in the United Kingdom set the all-time attendance for Wembley Stadium at 98,128 fans entering the building:

If true, these numbers would have surpassed the previous record for a boxing event at Wembley:

However, a new report that’s gaining traction shows that Alalshikh is off by almost 15,000 people. The new report suggests the attendance was actually 85,466 per an information request to Brent council, which is the local government responsible for Wembley Stadium.