There was “The Rumble in the Jungle” and “The Thrilla in Manila.” Now we await the “The Clash on the Dunes.”

Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz will face each other again Dec. 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and promoter Eddie Hearn is making it clear there should be no safety concerns for the participants and potential spectators. Rival promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank last week blasted Hearn for putting the fight in the Arabian Peninsula, saying Ruiz, a former Top Rank client, should object to the venue because “you’re not safe there.”

Hearn called Arum’s statements “rubbish,” adding that Ruiz “will be the safest person on the planet.” Hearn added: “We’ve been there. We’ve got everything completely under control. Everything will be absolute perfection. We have everything in place to make sure this event is safe as possible.”

Heavyweight fights on foreign soil weren’t uncommon in the Muhammad Ali era. He defeated George Foreman in what was then Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1974 and bested Joe Frazier in the Philippines in 1975. Now the next big heavyweight fight will be in Saudi Arabia.

The rematch has been looming since Ruiz shocked the world by scoring one of the biggest upsets in boxing history at Madison Square Garden in June, stopping the previously unbeaten Joshua by TKO in the seventh round.

Ruiz, a 25-to-1 underdog, dropped Joshua four times in the fight and the California native became the first boxer of Mexican descent to win the heavyweight championship. That triggered a rematch clause in the original contract, giving the Joshua camp the right to pick the venue for the rematch.

Initial reports had the rematch back at the Garden or on Joshua’s home turf in London. But Hearn, who was in Manhattan this week, said Saudi Arabia was chosen because the Ruiz camp wanted a neutral location and the Saudis offered a reported $70 million for the bout. Ruiz initially balked at fighting in Saudi Arabia, but was given an added financial incentive to agree to the deal.

“In all the conversations we’ve had with the Ruiz team, he didn’t want to do it in London,” Hearn said. “We said: ‘What would you like, London or Saudi Arabia?’ Their response was Saudi Arabia.”

Hearn’s company, Matchroom Boxing, staged a super middleweight fight at King Abdullah Sports City just north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last September and drew an enthusiastic crowd. Hearn predicts worldwide interest for Ruiz-Joshua II.

“I keep saying to people there’s a whole ’nother world out there for boxing,” Hearn said. “If the Middle East becomes invested in the sport of boxing, I promise you will not be seeing as many mega-fights in this country or the UK. This country and the UK cannot match the potential investment of fights in the Middle East.”

An official press conference is expected in two weeks, and Hearn said Ruiz and Joshua will be in attendance. Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) has vowed to be more focused for Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs), who took the fight on short notice.

“The loss has brought him to the reality of the situation, which is anything can happen at any time and that people will back you on the way up and kick you on the way down, so [the heck] with everybody,” Hearn said. “This time he’s just focused on Andy Ruiz. In that first fight it was about [Deontay] Wilder and [Tyson] Fury. He just wasn’t up for fighting Ruiz. Or is Andy Ruiz just really good? Does he have his number? We’ll find out.”

Meanwhile, Sergey Kovalev returns to his homeland to defend his WBO light heavyweight championship against unbeaten challenger Anthony Yarde in Chelyabinsk, Russia. The bout will be streamed Saturday night on ESPN+.