da fezbet: Cristiano Ronaldo missed Anthony Joshua's heavyweight boxing match with Francis Ngannou despite having a ringside seat.
da lvbet: Article continues below
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Ronaldo invited to Joshua vs NgannouPortuguese absent despite 'CR7' seatPrioritised sleep and training over spectacleGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The likes of Jose Mourinho, Brazilian Ronaldo, and AS Roma legend Francesco Totti were among the stars to see Joshua knock Ngannou out in the second round in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday night. And while the Al Nassr star had an exclusive 'CR7' seat designated for him, there was no sign of the five-time Ballon d'Or Winner at the Kingdom Arena.
AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION
It appears the 39-year-old missed the bout as he had an Al-Nassr training session on Saturday morning ahead of a vital AFC Champions League clash against Al Ain on Monday night. With the fight not taking place until 3.30am on Saturday, it seems Ronaldo prioritised rest over the spectacle – something the Saudi Pro League side emphasised when they posted training pictures on social media, and captioned it "No days off".
Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?
Ronaldo, who is a big boxing fan, visited Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh's house earlier this week to pose with Joshua, Ngannou, and Tyson Fury. The veteran also went to Joshua's fight against Otto Wallin in Saudi last December.
WHAT NEXT?
Al-Nassr host Al-Ain looking to overturn their 1-0 first leg deficit and advance to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. After that, Ronaldo's side, who sit second in the division behind runaway leaders Al-Hilal, return to league action away to Al-Ahli Saudi.