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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joe Cooper

Stunning footage shows scale of arena built for Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr rematch

Stunning footage of the Saudia Arabian arena in which Anthony Joshua will face Andy Ruiz Jr. has been released ahead of Saturday's showdown.

The stadium in Diriyah, which has been purpose built for the event, holds 15,000 people for what promises to be a seismic night of boxing.

Ruiz shocked the world in June as he downed AJ in New York to take the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts but the Brit has his chance to take them all back just six months later in Diriyah.

There was some degree of controversy over the hosting of such an event in Saudi Arabia, though few would argue against the level of investment in the area.

In the video posted online, animated footage shows what the stadium will look like from four different angles.

The arena is surrounded from three sides by rows and rows of seats, while the fourth side holds changing rooms, VIP areas and TV studios.

Ruiz and Joshua will enter the ring from the smaller, luxury stand, before the 15,000 fans roar them into the ring.

The ring walks promise to exhibit state of the art sounds and light shows.

Amazingly, construction of the arena started only two months ago. It has been worked on around the clock by a staff of 175 people.

The 10,000 sq m site, which includes 295 tonnes of steel, would stretch 57km.

On the night more than 2,000 staff will ensure proceedings run smoothly in the arena, 95 percent of which is reusable, and which will take a month to take down.

Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Boxing, said: "The arena and site are utterly breath-taking, with a theme park and concert the night before as well. It's like nothing we've seen before in boxing. The Clash On The Dunes will be a night to remember. We can't wait."

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