Japanese boxing superstar Naoya Inoue has become the latest marquee fighter to sign with Riyadh Season.
Inoue, 31, announced the deal – reported to be worth around $20 million – on his social media accounts on Tuesday morning. It will see him become an ambassador for Saudi Arabia, with the Riyadh Season logo appearing on his trunks and the branding of his fights, while also opening the door for Inoue to one day box in the kingdom.
Inoue, nicknamed "the Monster", is unbeaten in 28 fights with 25 knockouts and, having cleaned out four weight divisions, is already considered Japan’s greatest ever fighter.
“We have signed a sponsorship contract with Riyadh Season, a project directly managed by the Saudi Arabian government,” said Inoue, who defends his four super-bantamweight titles against Australia’s Sam Goodman in Tokyo on Christmas Eve.
“I am very happy to have been able to break down the class barrier and sign such a big contract. I believe that signing this contract now, as I am approaching the latter half of my career, is an important first step that will accelerate the rest of my boxing career.
“From now on, every match will be a very important one, so please continue to support us.”
On the subject of boxing in Riyadh, Inoue added: “I think it's all about timing. This year's fight [against Goodman] has been decided. I don't know what will happen next year. If I can fight in Saudi Arabia, I'll just live up to those expectations. I think I'll just perform the way I do in Japan.”
Significantly, the deal means that boxing's big three pound-for-pound greats – the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, unified super-welterweight king Terence Crawford, and now Inoue – are all signed with Riyadh Season.
Inoue's fights are major events in Japan. Earlier this year, he knocked out rival Luis Nery in front of almost 60,000 people in the first boxing event staged at the Tokyo Dome since Mike Tyson's legendary defeat to James "Buster" Douglas in 1990.
And, while this relationship opens the door for Inoue to box in Saudi Arabia, it also raises the prospect of another major overseas Riyadh Season card like the ones already staged in Los Angeles and London.
Turki Alalshikh, the man behind the Saudi boxing project, said "big surprises coming soon" as he posted a picture of himself alongside Inoue. Back in July, he said that he was keen to take the Riyadh Season brand on tour again and named Japan as a key market.
Alalshikh has shown a willingness to broker the biggest fights possible and an all-Japanese showdown between Inoue and the rising star Junto Nakatani could be the perfect main event for a Riyadh Season card in Tokyo.
The last time the kingdom hosted a show on foreign soil, Daniel Dubois upset Anthony Joshua in London on September 21 to cement his status as the IBF heavyweight champion.
Joshua took a heavy beating at Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition and Frank Smith of Matchroom Sports says it is "unlikely" the 34-year-old former two-time champion will exercise his rematch clause.
That's a view shared by Dubois' promoter Frank Warren, who said: “I don’t see [the Joshua rematch] happening next. We’re looking at a couple of things at the moment and we’ll make a decision.
“I’m hearing that [Joshua] is injured. Whatever it is, if things are going to happen, they happen. It’s taken a while to feel like it won’t happen, and unless I get a phone call saying it’s on, then we’ve got to make some decisions.
“We’re in the Daniel Dubois business. He’s the champion. He’s the guy who matters to me. [February 22] is when I want to get him out, and he wants to be out.”
That February 22 date will be another major Riyadh Season show in the Saudi capital and Dubois has been granted permission to make a voluntary defence, meaning he can face anyone from the top 15 in the IBF's rankings. That includes names like Zhilei Zhang and Frank Sanchez as well as his fellow Britons Derek Chisora and Fabio Wardley. Joseph Parker has called Dubois out but doesn't currently have a ranking with the sanctioning body.
Should he get through that then Dubois will next need to defend against the winner of an IBF-mandated eliminator between Agit Kabayel and Martin Bakole.
The next card to be hosted in Saudi Arabia is November 16's "Latino Night" featuring the best of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy stable and headlined by the cruiserweight unification between Gilberto Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith.
After that, 2024 closes out with the big heavyweight title rematch between Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
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Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
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Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
