MAN Commercial work at the #BattleoftheBaddest for Queensberry Promotions over in Saudi Arabia!
Last week, a team of six MAN Commercial Event Security experts headed over to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia!
Although not the first time MAN Commercial have worked internationally (worldwide tours with music stars were a huge part of our story back in the 1990’s) the clash of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was an extremely special occasion! Thanks to our long-term relationship with our valued clients Queensberry Promotions, our team was asked to travel out to Saudi to provide personal security to world-famous boxing promoter Frank Warren and his team, as well as supporting the various other security operations, including working closely with Lyons Den Security who look after Tyson Fury.
After arriving in Saudi, it was straight to work from the airport, with the team in place at the media outdoor work-outs, which were a key fixture of the pre-fight build up. The team assisted with crowd control and safety of the fighters and the public. Thursday was press conference day, with our team needed to secure the stage area. Friday was the fighter’s weigh-ins. “The MAN Commercial team were assisting with securing the stage area, and we worked closely with local security and Lyons Den to ensure there were no issues,” said Scott Broadway, “Iain focused on providing personal security to Frank Warren and the Queensberry team.”
Saturday arrived and Fight Night was finally here! “There are a lot of pre-event meetings and planning meetings that take place,” said Iain McCallister, “It is crucial that all security working on an event like this follow meticulous plans and familiarise themselves with the venue. We were working closely with Lyons Den Security and the local companies on seating plans, and securing the backstage and front of house areas. My team communicated with all promotors and their teams to ensure a seamless, smooth event.”
“At the planning meetings during the day, we were all allocated our areas of responsibility,” said Scott. “Iain and the rest of our team provided close protection for the undercard athletes, and walked out the fighters. I was positioned ringside, controlling and incidents or seating issues, and making sure all the media were where they should be.”
When it was time for the main event, Iain was ringside protecting Frank Warren, while the rest of the team supported ringside security. Only accredited staff could enter the ring due to weight restrictions, with Iain called in post-fight, when a victorious Tyson Fury faced-off with his likely next opponent, Oleksandr Usyk!
Our team of professionals remained on duty after the fight until the venue was completely clear, ensuring everyone left safely. After a long shift, it was then straight to the airport for an early flight back to the UK!
The team saw lots of familiar faces and friends from the UK security circuit, as well as some major celeb-spotting, with huge stars of boxing, football, UFC, WWE and music in attendance. Some celebrity attendees included Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor, Eminem, Mike Tyson and Kanye West.
When asked about their highlight of the week, both Iain and Scott had similar answers; “When it was all over and we could look back on a successful event!” said Iain, “We are always delighted when an event has gone without any issues and we can be proud of the input we had and what the team have achieved. And now we are looking forward to getting involved with and planning the next big one!” With the Tyson Fury Vs Oleksandr Usyk bout being touted for the end of the year back in Riyadh, there’s a lot to look forward to!
