Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo yells out to Manny Pacquiao in wholesome encounter in Riyadh
By Ryan General
Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo shared a memorable moment on Friday as they met at a gala dinner in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the “Battle of the Baddest” boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.
Meeting of greats: Pacquiao, 44, and Ronaldo, 38, were among the sporting greats invited to be at ringside for the much-anticipated event held on Oct. 28.
TNT Sports captured the encounter in a clip that shows Ronaldo yelling out “Hey, Pacquiao!” to catch the boxer’s attention. Ronaldo, now residing in Saudi Arabia after leaving Manchester United in January, is seen exchanging pleasantries with the boxer while posing for the cameras.
Pacquiao took to Instagram to release a series of photos with Ronaldo, with the caption, “Hey RONALDO! @cristiano”
Night of legends: Pacquiao also shared a group photo with a number of other boxing figures, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Roy Jones Jr., Lennox Lewis, Oscar Dela Hoya, Erik Morales, Antonio Tarver, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, Michael Spinks, Miguel Cotto, Joe Calzaghe, Dmitry Bivol, Frank Sanchez, Frank Bruno, Bakhodir Jalolov and boxing commentator Teddy Atlas.
“Honored to be among the legends of the sport of boxing,” Pacquiao wrote in the caption.
Posing with opponents: Pacquiao also shared solo pictures with Dela Hoya and Hatton, two boxers who have made a significant impact on the Filipino athlete’s career.
The eight-division world champion defeated Dela Hoya in a decisive victory in 2008, resulting in the Mexican “Golden Boy” eventually retiring from the sport. Just five months later, Pacquiao would proceed to knock out Hatton in just two rounds with a brutal left hook to the jaw to win the IBO welterweight belt.
About the “Battle of the Baddest”: The boxing match on Saturday pitted Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight title holder, against Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion. Despite being knocked down in the third round, Fury defeated Ngannou by split decision in the match. Fury remains undefeated at 34-0-1 with 24 knockouts.
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