Cristiano Ronaldo, Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder watched in Riyadh as Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul in a highly anticipated fight…
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was one of several stars watching as Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia.
The British Love Island star beat former American YouTuber Paul via split decision in Diriyah on Sunday night, with the backlash to the fight continuing.
It was a highly anticipated fight after the better part of two years of constant barbs between the two.
And after Saudi Arabia won the battle to host the fight, which drew huge interest on pay-per-view, soccer player Ronaldo was spotted inside the arena just hours before the bell rang.
The region’s and boxing’s greats were in attendance, with Mike Tyson, Deontay Wilder and world heavyweight champion Fury – Tommy’s half brother – all watching from ringside.
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured alongside his son in the build-up to Tommy Fury’s fight with Jake Paul
Striker Ronaldo, 38, was presented by BT Sport a few hours before the bell
Love Island star Fury (center) beat the American by split decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday
Portuguese striker Ronaldo, who earns an astonishing £173m a year in the country, was featured by British broadcaster BT Sport alongside his son, Cristiano Jr.
The veteran, 38, looked relaxed as he held his phone while putting on a pair of sunglasses indoors.
The presence of the Portuguese in the fight had been confirmed days before, by presenter Piers Morgan.
Seemingly unfazed that his former club Manchester United clinched victory in the League Cup final early Sunday afternoon, Ronaldo arrived early as the arena began to fill up.
The arena hosting the fight only seats around 8,000 and was built in two weeks specifically for the fight.
It is yet another indicator of Saudi Arabia’s desire to become one of the big names in the sport, alongside other countries in the region, such as Qatar.
The decision to sign Ronaldo was approved by the ruling family, as the Portuguese took on an ambassadorial role as part of his multi-million deal with Al-Nassr.
Other notable fights held in the country include two for Anthony Joshua, including a win over Andy Ruiz in 2019 and a loss to Oleksandr Usyk last summer.
Tyson Fury looked typically relaxed as he waited for his younger brother to enter the ring.
Deontay Wilder was one of the other notable names present at the fight in Saudi Arabia
Jake Paul and Tommy Fury traded near-constant barbs for nearly two years.
They held a wide promo in Saudi Arabia ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated fight.
Mike Tyson was among boxing royalty watching perhaps one of the most controversial fights in recent memory.
The country has also been considered as a venue for Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight unification bout with the Ukrainian later this year.
Having endured a difficult start to life in the country, Ronaldo took as many as expected to the Saudi Pro League.
In the last four games for the club, he scored eight goals and assisted two more.
That included four goals against Al-Wehda earlier this month, while on Saturday he scored a hat-trick against Damac.
Al-Nassr is currently at the top of the Saudi Pro League with 18 games played in the season.