“We’ve seen such a positive growth of women’s boxing over the past couple of years, it would be a shame for that bubble to burst,” says the Norfolk featherweight Raven Chapman in the buildup to Saudi Arabia’s latest boxing bonanza.
Since 2018, women have been able to drive in Saudi Arabia and since 2019, women aged over 21 no longer need their guardian’s approval to access healthcare, education and state services, take up a job or make their own medical decisions about pregnancy and birth.
There have been some positive green shoots of boxing participation from women in Saudi Arabia – whether this translates into turning professional and boxing as part of these multimillion-pound events is yet to be seen.
The American Claressa Shields is argued as one of the pound-for-pound stars in the women’s code, and the unbeaten 29-year-old directed her concerns on X towards Turki Alalshikh, the chair of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority which is bankrolling the Riyadh Season events.
Malissa Smith, a boxing historian and author of The Promise of Women’s Boxing, has also been vocal detailing her concerns.
