"HEY PACQUIAO!" - Cristiano Ronaldo all smiles as he poses with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao ahead of Fury vs. Ngannou

Cristiano Ronaldo greeted and posed with boxing great Manny Pacquiao ahead of the highly-anticipated Fury vs. Ngannou fight.

Reigning WBC heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury is scheduled to face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a professional boxing match. The matchup would mark Ngannou's boxing debut and his first professional combat sports contest since January 2022.

The Fury vs. Ngannou fight is booked to headline a much-awaited boxing event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28, 2023.

Although Tyson Fury currently holds the WBC heavyweight title, it won't be on the line in his showdown against Francis Ngannou. Instead, the winner of their boxing match will be presented with a symbolic 'Riyadh Champion' belt.

The consensus is that a number of celebrities and prominent combat sports personalities are likely to attend the Fury vs. Ngannou boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On that note, football icon Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the notable public personalities expected to attend the boxing matchup.

In January 2023, Ngannou met 'CR7' in Saudi Arabia. In a subsequent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in July 2023, Ngannou expounded upon how Ronaldo helped his fight against Fury materialize.

'The Predator' suggested that Ronaldo utilized his influence in the sports realm of the UK and Saudi Arabia to help the Fury vs. Ngannou boxing match to come to fruition.

The Wembley Stadium in the UK was considered as a potential venue for the Fury-Ngannou fight. Regardless, it was eventually finalized that the fight would transpire in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Watch Ngannou speak about Ronaldo helping book the fight at 24:20 in the video below:

Earlier today, the combat sports community was set abuzz by a video of Cristiano Ronaldo meeting boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.

It's believed that 'PacMan' is also set to attend the Fury-Ngannou fight in Riyadh. Expressing his joy upon meeting the former eight-division boxing world champion, 'CR7' asserted:

"Hey, Pacquiao!"

Watch Ronaldo and Pacquiao's meeting in the video below:

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Cristiano Ronaldo meets Francis Ngannou and his family ahead of Fury vs. Ngannou

A few days back, Cristiano Ronaldo met Francis Ngannou and his family after their arrival in Saudi Arabia. 'CR7' has been an ardent supporter of the former UFC heavyweight kingpin over the past several months.

Speaking of which, Ronaldo and Ngannou were all smiles in their meeting ahead of the MMA star's maiden boxing bout.

Furthermore, Cristiano Ronaldo also gifted Francis Ngannou a very expensive special edition watch. Ngannou took to his official Instagram account to post a video of the same, highlighting the football megastar's friendly gesture.

Meanwhile, Tyson Fury has signed on to fight unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title next. Their fight would likely take place in December 2023/January 2024. Nevertheless, the Fury-Usyk fight could be jeopardized if Fury loses or suffers significant damage/injury against Ngannou this month.