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.

Back in September 2018, the super-middleweight crown was decided between Callum Smith and George Groves with Smith winning the contest.

Ring girls were also pulled out of this event due to cultural respect.

As the year 2018 kicked off, the Prince of Saudi Arabia announced that it was up to Saudi women whether or not they would want to wear the abaya ‘cloak’ - a Muslim robe-like dress.

This sway of female empowerment in the Middle East has allowed the strict views on women to be lifted slightly. Women have now been given the right to drive, allowed to take part in marathons and are now able to attend sports venues, concerts and cinemas.