RIYADH, 黑料社区:聽The Heavyweight Champion of the World, Andy Ruiz, has been knocked out鈥y the iconic venue in 黑料社区 where the Clash On The Dunes, his rematch with Anthony Joshua, is set to take place.
The American-Mexican fighter 鈥 known as The Destroyer - toured the custom-built Diriyah Arena in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site ahead of the epic bout on Dec. 7.
The 15,000-seater stadium has been constructed in the ancient remains of 黑料社区鈥檚 first capital, a place fittingly known as the 鈥榟ome of kings and heroes鈥.
Touring the Diriyah Arena, Andy Ruiz said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing man, it鈥檚 crazy how they built everything in a month and a half. It鈥檚 amazing to be fighting over here, it鈥檚 going to be really historic and I鈥檓 planning to make history over here.鈥
The World Champion first visited Diriyah for the official fight press conference in October, but since then 175 workers have created the arena in the 10,000 sq m site using 295 tonnes of steel.
Ruiz said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot different. When I first got here none of this was here so it鈥檚 unbelievable. All the workers and all the people who have put their efforts in, their designs in, this event and this arena is just something amazing.鈥
Ruiz arrived in the Kingdom early Monday morning to set up his training camp ahead of his rematch with Joshua, with the US boxer determined to keep hold of the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO belts he snatched from the Briton when they faced off in New York earlier this year.
鈥淩ight now, we are meditating, we are preparing, we are getting sharper in the ring and training as well. We are visualizing the fight and becoming victorious,鈥 said Ruiz.
鈥淭o all my fans please come and support me, it鈥檚 going to be a huge fight, it鈥檚 the Clash On The Dunes. We are two big guys fighting each other looking to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World.
鈥淗e鈥檚 trying to take my belts away so I鈥檓 going to do everything that鈥檚 possible to win and I鈥檓 going to do it for all my people.
鈥淭hey can expect to see someone who is not giving up and doing everything possible to win, God willing we are going to take this victory.鈥
Fans will approach the Diriyah Arena via the Diriyah Oasis, a huge sprawling entertainment hub which includes ice-skating outdoors, sky diving, jetski-ing and ziplining among a host of activities on offer.聽 The Diriyah Oasis is split into the four zones 鈥 Nature, Imagination, Reflection, Excitement- giving families a place to come together, and at its heart lies an astonishing grand installation by world-renowned Italian artist, Edoardo Tresoldi.
The Clash On The Dunes forms part of the Diriyah Season, epic month of sports which kicked off with聽 Formula E at the weekend, the Diriyah Tennis Cup featuring eight of the best men鈥檚 players on the planet, and the Diriyah Equestrian Festival, an elite competition with Tokyo Olympics 2020 qualifying points on the line.
The Diriyah Season is also supported by the Diriyah Music Festival with huge concerts taking place around the event. On December 6, the night before the Clash On The Dunes, major artists who are yet to be announced will perform. So far artists such as Imagine Dragons, DJ Alan Walker, Clean Bandit and Maluma have performed to 40,000 concert goers.
Tickets for all of the Diriyah Season鈥檚 spectacular events, concerts and entertainment will be available at聽. Follow Diriyah Season鈥檚 news and announcements on the official social media pages on twitter and Instagram @diriyahseason.
