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CASE STUDY: Live Events

Raising the roof for a historic heavyweight title fight

Ring Of Fire event - pitch protection

In a nutshell:

  • Equipment used: I-Trac
  • Vehicles: 2 flatbed trucks and trailers, 4 buggies, 6 trailers, 4 forklifts
  • Distance travelled: 3897 miles UK to Riyadh
  • Installation time: 14 hours
  • Pack-up time:  pitch cleared and returned to venue management in 8 hours
  • Size of team: 68 people from Box Group, Box Group KSA and partner organisations
Ring Of Fire Event - pitch protection

Client

Sela / The Ring of Fire

Location

The Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has developed a reputation for hosting the biggest events and they don’t come much bigger than the undisputed heavyweight title fight. This is history in the making, and a fight the world has waited for.

The challenge

The Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight in Riyadh wasn’t just a battle for boxing supremacy; it was a logistical challenge that demanded innovative solutions. The Box Group in conjunction with Box Group KSA stepped into the ring, facing a dual challenge:

1. Protecting the pitch: With Al Hilal’s crucial home game just four days after the fight, safeguarding the Kingdom Arena’s pitch from heavy equipment and construction was paramount.

2. Raising equipment into the roof: Rigging 28 tons of broadcast equipment to the 43-meter high roof structure, while respecting the arena’s integrity and tight timelines, was a feat of engineering supported by The Box Group’s foundations.

The stakes: A global spectacle

This historic fight, uniting the WBC, WBO, IBF, and WBA (Super) heavyweight titles, attracted a global audience and filled the Kingdom Arena to its 25,000 spectator capacity. The pressure was on to deliver a seamless experience for both the live audience and millions watching worldwide.

Our knockout solution

  • Pitch Protection: We deployed a combination of 10,000 sqm protective mats and heavy-duty temporary flooring systems to shield the pitch from the weight of four massive cherry pickers and other equipment. This ensured the playing surface remained pristine for Al Hilal’s upcoming match.
  • Rigging support: Our team’s expertise in temporary overlay deployment supported the other teams involved to enable the complex rigging of screens, lights, aerial cameras, and speaker arrays, ensuring a world-class broadcast environment without compromising the arena’s roof structure.

Outcome – A historic night and a pristine pitch

The Box Group’s expertise turned a logistical challenge into a resounding success. The Fury-Usyk fight unfolded as an incredible global spectacle, and the Kingdom Arena’s pitch remained in championship condition for the upcoming football match. The organisers couldn’t have been happier.

Our agility and problem-solving prowess were on full display. With barely a moment to celebrate, we’re already gearing up for our next challenge: the 5 v 5 boxing event on 1st June, happening concurrently with the massive Afronation install in Portimão. We thrive on delivering extraordinary experiences, no matter the obstacles. Any challenge. Anywhere. fast.

 

We’re here to help

At The Box Group we know the integrity of your temporary operating environment is critical to success. Get it right, and the rest of the project can align and succeed.

Our solutions are much more than the provision of the right kit; they combine our years of experience with inventive thinking and a can do, positive mindset – to meet logistical challenges, enable operations, mitigate risk and complete missions. When there’s no room for error, our clients trust us to deliver.

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The Box Group are an agile company who can swiftly respond to Weatherhaven’s needs and supply both their off the shelf products, yet also tailor to our specific designs and requirements quickly and economically. We’re looking forward to a long relationship between ourselves and The Box Group.

Graeme Robertson ,
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ES Global is a world leader in the provision of temporary overlay for the global sports event market. The external venues we operate on need a firm base to begin with before any construction can happen. Since London 2012 we have worked with The Box Group as a trusted partner to deliver the flooring systems that enable us to do our work.

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One thing that stands out about The Box Group is their unwavering commitment to delivering on their promises. I instinctively trusted John and his team to pull off something extraordinary, and they exceeded expectations. Their positive, resourceful approach and determination has really helped us deliver a world-class event.

Jason Jennings ,
Event Horizon

We were pleased with the work provided by The Box Group in providing the flooring for our concert event. We look forward to working with them next year for the 2024 festival.

Paulo Amaral ,
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It was great to work with John, Gary and The Box Group team. The concert was a great success and we returned the pitch to Atletico Bilbao in perfect condition.

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