Raining on their parade: Ruiz vs Joshua venue in Saudi hit by downpour amid fears of disruption to blockbuster boxing event

The blockbuster boxing event featuring the heavyweight rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua could face disruption as rain hit the venue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

The card is already underway at the purpose-built 15,000-seater stadium, and while the ring is covered spectators are largely exposed to the elements.

Fans are taking cover under umbrellas as the rain falls, while there is reportedly a high chance that it will still be raining when Joshua and Ruiz start their ringwalks at around 9pm GMT.

While it would take a serious deterioration in conditions for the main event to be cancelled, according to reports the undercard could be affected while of more concern to organizers will be the chance of strong winds or even lightning.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Promoter Eddie Hearn moved quickly to allay fears on social media, signalling that the event - and the big showdown between Joshua and Ruiz - would go ahead as planned. 

Indeed, contemplating anything else would be a disaster for the event dubbed ‘the Clash on the Dunes’, which is the biggest boxing bout the region has ever seen.

Brit fighter Joshua aims to win back the world titles he lost to Mexican-American Ruiz in a shock 7th-round stoppage at Madison Square Garden during the summer.

Numerous big names from the sporting world and beyond are believed to be in attendance in Saudi Arabia, including Russian UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.