Manny Pacquiao eyes boxing return with Saudi sportswashing event

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Just months after conceding defeat in the Philippines presidential election, Manny Pacquiao is hinting at a potential return to the ring.

The 43-year-old former world champion is currently considering an exhibition bout against former sparring partner Jaber Zayani in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next January.

“We will just start discussions,” Pacquiao told AFP.

Pacquiao is currently preparing for a charity bout against South Korean YouTuber DK Yoo, which will take place in Seoul, South Korea, The fight will last six rounds with the generated revenue being used to rebuild homes in war-torn Ukraine.

While Pacquiao isn’t the first boxing legend to compete on the exhibition circuit, his decision to host the potential bout in Saudi Arabia is troubling, and marks the latest example of how the kingdom has relied on sports such as boxing to distract from ongoing human rights abuses—a tactic known as sportswashing.

Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has spent billions on high-profile international sports and entertainment events. The strategic investment is part of the kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ masterplan that aims to reduce Saudi’s economic dependence on oil but it also serves to distract from ongoing human rights abuses committed by the kingdom with impunity, as well its ongoing war in Yemen that has resulted in a humanitarian crisis among the worst in the world.

The kingdom’s sports portfolio includes annual World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) premium live events, a Formula One Grand Prix, the Saudi Cup horse race, several boxing showdowns, and the LIV professional golf tour financed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Most recently, Saudi also hosted the heavyweight boxing rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.