Promoters have opted against the use of Ring Girls in the Anthony Joshua vs Ruiz Jr rematch on December 7 out of respect for the local culture in Saudi Arabia.
Though it’s thought that the countries views on women’s clothing are easing slightly – especially for foreigners – Saudi Arabia still have a strict dress code for women.
The promoters for this rematch have decided against causing unneeded controversy by scrapping the use of Ring Girls all together for this particular fight.
This isn’t the first time this sort of decision has needed to be taken, however.
WWE was faced with a similar dilemma when they held their ‘Crown Jewel’ event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier on in the year.
The decision was that female wrestlers would wear much more modest costumes that weren’t so revealing as opposed to their more usual skimpy, sexy attire.
Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of WWE, explained: “We need to be respectful of the cultures in the countries we perform in.”
This particular event went underway without any further controversy so promoters will be hoping that the AJ vs Ruiz Jr fight will follow suit and not cause any problems.
