Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12
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Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Advisor Turki Al Al-Sheikh has announced the much-anticipated fight at the fifth edition of Riyadh Season 2024 opening ceremony.
Boxing fans from around the world are eagerly awaiting the major event titled "IV Crown Showdown," which will take place in Riyadh on October 12, SPA reported. This event will serve as the launching point for a season filled with activities and entertainment that will put Riyadh at the forefront of the global event scene.
The IV Crown Showdown will be a special occasion for boxing fans. It will feature a clash between two light heavyweight titans: Russia's Artur Beterbiev, known for his overwhelming power and a record filled with knockout victories, and his fellow Russian Dmitry Bivol, regarded as one of the most tactical and intelligent boxers in this weight class. This confrontation is not just a title fight; it is a battle to prove supremacy in the light heavyweight division at the global level.
In addition to this main event, the audience will witness a series of thrilling matches featuring top international champions across various weight classes. US Shakur Stevenson will face Welshman Joe Cordina in the super featherweight category. In the middleweight division, British fighter Chris Eubank Jr., who has 18 knockouts, will challenge Polish boxer Kamil Szeremeta in what promises to be an exciting round.
In the heavyweight category, the audience will enjoy a British showdown between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke, both aiming to prove their worth in the Riyadh ring. In the cruiserweight division, Australian Jai Opetaia, who previously won by knockout in the "Ring of Fire" clash last December, will meet British fighter Jack Massey.
Other matches include the British silver medalist from the 2020 Olympics, Ben Whittaker, who took on his compatriot, Liam Cameron, in the light heavyweight division. Also, for the first time, a women's match will take place in Riyadh Season's boxing ring, with Australian Skye Nicolson battling British Raven Chapman in the featherweight category.
The audience will also witness a significant and memorable encounter between Saudi boxer Mohammed Al-Aqil and Mexican Jesus Gonzales in the welterweight division, adding a unique and national flavor to this global event.
The IV Crown Showdown is part of Riyadh Season, which has established itself as a major global entertainment destination.



Oscar Voters Required to View All Films Before Casting Ballots 

Oscar statuettes appear backstage at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2017. (AP)
Oscar statuettes appear backstage at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2017. (AP)
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Oscar Voters Required to View All Films Before Casting Ballots 

Oscar statuettes appear backstage at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2017. (AP)
Oscar statuettes appear backstage at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2017. (AP)

Oscar voters will be required to demonstrate that they have watched all the films in each category before they cast their final ballots, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.

The new rule, which addresses a longstanding concern that voters are skipping some films, will apply for the next Oscars ceremony in March 2026, the Academy said in a statement.

The Academy previously operated under an honor system that voters would see every Oscar-nominated film before casting their ballots.

However, with the number of nominees growing in recent years, some voters have admitted not fully fulfilling that duty.

Under the new system, Academy members will be tracked on the organization's voters-only streaming platform to make sure they have watched each film.

For movies seen elsewhere, such as in cinemas or at festival screenings, voters will be required to "fill out a form" vouching for when and where it was watched, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

For the Best Picture category alone, which has 10 nominated films, competing studios traditionally host glitzy events to woo voters during their awards campaigns, with parties, screenings and festival showings, sometimes followed by Q&A sessions with the stars and filmmakers.

The Academy also weighed in on a controversy that arose during the last voting season, which was marred by questions about the use of artificial intelligence in movies, such as "The Brutalist" and "Emilia Perez."

In guidance issued Monday, the Academy said AI and other digital tools will "neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination."

The new rule clarifies that the use of technology is not disqualifying.

"The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award."