If the nation that finances boxing asked Eddie Hearn to, he has stated that he would play the Saudi national song before each match. The choice to play the national anthem prior to Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois’ heavyweight bout at Wembley on Saturday drew criticism, and there were additional charges that the Middle Eastern country was trying to “sportswash” its image as an oppressive government.

The bout was a part of “Riyadh Season,” a television series supported by the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, which is chaired by advisor to the country’s royal court Turki Alalshikh. Hearn stated that Turki was more than entitled to have the national anthem played as a “sign of respect” given the amount of money he had invested in the sport.

Eddie Hearn has said he would play the Saudi anthem at every fight if he was asked to do so

‘He’s given British boxing – all the fighters, all the fans – the best night, he’s paid for it all,’ Hearn told iFL TV.

The Saudi national anthem was played at Wembley before Anthony Joshua faced Daniel Dubois

The fight was part of ‘Riyadh Season’, backed by the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority under the chairmanship of Turki Alalshikh, an advisor in the country’s royal court

‘I couldn’t have put that event up, (rival promoter) Frank Warren couldn’t have put that event up.

‘It’s a sign of respect for the work that’s been put in to create this event – and for 20 seconds, is it a big deal?

‘He (Turki) could have done that show in Riyadh and everyone could go, “Oh, another big fight in Riyadh”.

‘But now he’s actually gone out, spent the money to do it in the UK and give everybody just the best night and all these fighters all these incredible opportunities and we still find a way to say, “Yeah, but they played their national anthem”.

‘Well, you know what? I’ll play the anthem if they want, for what they’re doing, at every show.’

Hearn emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the sport had “no agenda,” saying that the enthusiasm for producing outstanding events was the driving force behind everything. Like any sponsor, Riyadh Season wants to increase its visibility and reap the rewards of having a globally recognized brand. Hearn also seemed to suggest that the disagreement over Wembley accreditation was purely a space issue. Oliver Brown, a Telegraph reporter, claimed that his fighter pass was canceled after he published a Friday opinion piece that criticized Saudi Arabia’s role in boxing.

Hearn defended the decision and said playing the anthem before was a ‘sign of respect’

Hearn further emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s engagement in boxing had “no agenda.” More than 350 applications were received for accreditation, according to Hearn, who also mentioned that “Gareth Davies, a sports writer for the Telegraph, attended the event.”

Consequently, The Telegraph was represented at the function. I’m not familiar with every detail of what transpired.I don’t blame them if some individuals prefer to only attend the major events; after all, their job is to cover the largest sporting events.However, managing media credentials is a difficult task, and irate individuals will inevitably arise.