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Political Pugilism: Understanding Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing ambitions for Joshua vs. Fury

Dressed in a traditional Middle Eastern garment known as a thobe, a checkered-red ghotra headdress, as well as a pair of fingerless gloves, the British heavyweight emerged on stage for his professional wrestling debut at the WWE Crown Jewel event in 2019. His appearance delighted the local Saudi crowd, who were thrilled to see the Manchester native dressed in their national attire.

Fury entered the ring to The Isley Brothers hit ‘It’s Your Thing’ and faced down Braun Strowman, who earned the moniker “The Monster Among Men” due to his size—billed at 6 ft 8 and 385 lb—and his in-ring dominance.