The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has now extended into the sporting world. Five years after it organized an event at Qatar’s Lusail Sports Arena, Misfits Boxing’s plans to host a second show in the country now face uncertainty as the regional crisis enters its second week. Andrew Tate’s sports promotion opens its 2026 slate with MF & DAZN: X Series 22 – Duel 2: Mitchell vs. Rosado at Vaillant Live in Derby. The crossover event will be followed by two shows featuring professional boxing bouts on March 20 and April 4, with the latter headlined by former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder against Derek Chisora. A show in Qatar scheduled for late April was meant to follow, but that now appears increasingly unlikely.
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“We’ll see. Obviously, it’s a sensitive time,” Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor told The Sun. “The last thing you want to do is bombard people when they’re in fear and in shock over what’s going on; we want to be sensitive to that.
“So we’ll just watch and see what happens. Obviously, the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans, right? That’s what they say. Sometimes plans have to change because of things that we cannot control. So let’s see what happens, but we’re working on it.”
Taylor shared the details with The Sun amid reports of Tommy Fury making a return on a Misfits card. It appears plans were in place to put Fury in the Derby event. However, the matchup ultimately fell apart. Despite the setback, Taylor remained optimistic about Tommy’s return.
“There’s some stuff going on…Don’t let me spoil any announcements, but I think it’s time we see Tommy Fury back in the ring soon,” Taylor said. “Watch this space. We have something more exciting and unexpected than anyone could ever guess.”
🗣️ Misfits were scheduled to host a big event in Qatar (April), but the ongoing air attacks in the Middle East seem to have hindered those plans:
Mams Taylor: “We’ll see. Obviously it’s a sensitive time. The last thing you want to do is bombard people when they’re in fear and in… pic.twitter.com/USz1CQfapV
— IFN (@IfnBoxing) March 6, 2026
The crossover boxing promotion ended its 2025 calendar with Andrew Tate‘s debut on Misfits Mania—The Fight Before Christmas at Dubai’s Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Ahead of the event on December 20, the controversial media figure, reports indicate, replaced Misfits Boxing co-founder KSI.
However, Tate’s attempt ended in defeat when his opponent, former college footballer-turned-fighter Chase DeMoor, secured a majority-decision win.
The instability has begun affecting multiple sports beyond boxing.
From rings to racetracks: Middle East conflict disrupts global sport
Against this backdrop, the Middle East conflict is impacting not only events but also sports figures across disciplines. Travel has been especially affected, leaving many stranded and unable to leave the region for the United States.
One example involves former NBA shooting guard Shake Milton and Dylan Osetkowski, who play for the Belgrade, Serbia-based basketball team KK Partizan. Another Partizan player, Duane Washington, has been reported stranded in Dubai.
Beyond the court, the regional crisis has also cast uncertainty over Formula 1. The Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix are now in flux. Reportedly, some attacks have already hit areas near where F1 personnel stay, making safety a major concern.
Formula One must decide within about two weeks whether the races can go ahead so teams can ship equipment in time. If the war continues or security risks remain high, the organizers may have to cancel the races. Replacing them would be very difficult because the F1 schedule is already full.