Cristiano Ronaldo, Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder all watch on in Riyadh as Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul in a highly anticipated bout… with Tyson Fury watching his brother win their grudge match
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was one of several stars watching on as Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia.
The British Love Island star beat American former YouTuber Paul via split decision in Diriyah on Sunday evening, with reaction to the fight continuing.
It was a hotly anticipated bout after the best part of two years of constant barbs between the pair.
And after Saudi Arabia won the battle to host the fight, which drew extensive interest on pay-per-view, footballer Ronaldo was spotted inside the arena just hours out from the bell ringing.
The great and the good of the region and boxing were in attendance, with Mike Tyson, Deontay Wilder and heavyweight champion of the world Fury – Tommy’s half-brother – all watching on ringside.
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured alongside his son in the build-up to Tommy Fury’s fight with Jake Paul
Forward Ronaldo, 38, was shown by BT Sport in attendance just hours out from the bell ringing
Love Island star Fury (centre) beat the American via split decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday
Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who is earning an astonishing £173m-per-year in the country, was shown by the UK’s host broadcaster BT Sport alongside his son, Cristiano Jr.
The veteran, 38, was looking relaxed as he clutched his phone while donning a smart pair of sunglasses indoors.
It had been confirmed a few days prior that the Portuguese would attend the fight, by presenter Piers Morgan.
Seemingly left unperturbed by his former club Manchester United claiming victory in the final of the League Cup earlier on Sunday afternoon, Ronaldo arrived early as the arena began to fill up.
The arena which is hosting the fight only holds some 8,000 seats and was purpose-built in two weeks specifically for the fight.
It is yet another indicator of Saudi Arabia’s desire to become one of the major players in sport, alongside other countries in the region such as Qatar.
The move to sign Ronaldo was rubber-stamped by the ruling family, while the Portuguese has taken up an ambassadorial role as part of his multi-million pound contract with Al-Nassr.
Other notable bouts to have been held in the country include two of Anthony Joshua’s, including a victory over Andy Ruiz in 2019 and a loss to Oleksandr Usyk last summer.
Tyson Fury seemed typically relaxed as he waited for his younger brother to step into the ring
Deontay Wilder was one of the other notable names in attendance at the bout in Saudi Arabia
Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have exchanged near-constant barbs for the best part of two years
They carried out extensive promotion in Saudi Arabia ahead of Sunday’s hotly anticipated bout
Mike Tyson was among the boxing royalty watching perhaps one of the most controversial fights in recent memory
The country has also been mooted as a location for Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight unification bout with the Ukrainian later this year.
Having endured something of a difficult start to life in the country, Ronaldo has taken to the Saudi Pro League how many expected.
In his last four games for the club, he has scored eight goals and assisted a further two.
That included four goals against Al-Wehda at the start of this month, while Saturday saw him score a hat-trick against Damac.
Al-Nassr are currently top of the Saudi Pro League with 18 games gone in the season.
