Tyson Fury’s bout with Francis Ngannou drew in some the biggest names from sport and entertainment from across the globe.
The two fighters put on a boxing bout on October 28th, 2023, to mark Riyadh, Season, in a fight that delivered more than was expected. Despite Fury being seen as a clear favorite, Ngannou defied expectations to take the fight to the distance and knocked Fury to the canvas in round three. And in order to mark that special event, dozens of high-profile fighters and celebrities made sure to watch the event live in person. Here were the some of the A-listers, who were on hand to watch the spectacle.
Attendees
Manny Pacquiao
“HEY PACQUIAO!” 🤣@Cristiano absolutely LOVED meeting the legend @MannyPacquiao 🐐#BattleOfTheBaddest #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/DHmHUX64qm
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 27, 2023
Amir Khan
‼️ Amir Khan gifts Eminem a WBC watch, which was only given to fighters!
[🎥@amirkingkhan]#amirkhan #eminem #furyngannou #boxing pic.twitter.com/tNNwO7xPnu
— THE CANVAS CLUB (@the_canvas_club) October 27, 2023
Kanye West
🐻 @KanyeWest pulled up to #FuryNgannou#BattleOfTheBaddest | https://t.co/2heUqaYy86 pic.twitter.com/gJm78O28jm
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 28, 2023
Eminem
The moment @francis_ngannou realizes it’s the real Slim Shady😅
The stars are out for #FuryNgannou
🎥: @tntsportboxing/IG pic.twitter.com/qaS34807FT
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 28, 2023
Mike Tyson
An icon in ALL of combat sports 🐐@MikeTyson | #FuryNgannou | #BattleOfTheBaddest pic.twitter.com/rzMxJElppX
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 28, 2023
Israel Adesanya
.@StyleBender pays a final visit to @Francis_Ngannou 🤝#FuryNgannou | #BattleOfTheBaddest | https://t.co/2heUqaYy86 pic.twitter.com/bFVYnFJeac
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 28, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo
My guy is in the building! 👊🏽❤️#Riyadhseason #BattleOfTheBaddest pic.twitter.com/goNhGsmOQz
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 28, 2023
Luis Figo, Rio Ferdinand, Conor McGregor and Ronaldo
The Boys are in the house 🔥✅🇸🇦@LuisFigo @Ronaldo @TheNotoriousMMA #RiyadhSeason@Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/kx9oDLMXkQ
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 28, 2023
Prince Naseem and Evander Holyfield
Some of combat sports' finest are getting ready for #FuryNgannou 🙌 pic.twitter.com/sJQ4jD8p6v
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 28, 2023
Lil Baby
Lil Baby performed ahead of the main event for #FuryNgannou 🎤 @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/9zPZ9Jhylp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2023
Oleksandr Usyk
.@Usykaa has a close eye tonight 👀#FuryNgannou | #BattleOfTheBaddest | https://t.co/2heUqaYy86 pic.twitter.com/XnxdzGr6ER
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 28, 2023
But three of those names particularly stood out: Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Conor McGregor. Pacman confirmed that talks were ongoing for the eight-division champion to face Khan or McGregor. Pacman may be 44-years-old, but the boxer has shown a willingness to return to the sport following his retirement in 2021 after losing to Yordenis Ugas. Thereafter, Manny has had exhibition fights as well as suggestions that he could compete for the Philippines at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And during his attendance for the Fury vs. Ngannou fight, Pacman confirmed his plans moving forward.
“We’re working on it, [to face Amir Khan] next year,” Manny
Much in the same way, McGregor confirmed that talks had taken place for him to face Pacquiao earlier in his career after the Floyd Mayweather fight. However, those talks failed to result in a fight getting made. In response, McGregor stated that he was open to facing the Filipo with hopes that something could happen soon.
“His Excellency (Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia) set myself and Manny Pacquiao together. There was a discussion, it was close for us to fight in Saudi Arabia about two or three years ago now. ‘m sure we’ll pick up from where we left off. Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom and UFC have a deal so it’s growing. I’m up for anything,” McGregor.