Conor McGregor was spotted chatting non-stop with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at the ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. The event, headlined by Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin, also saw Deontay Wilder lose to Joseph Parker in front of a crowd full of celebrities in Riyadh.
As the stars settled into their seats at the Kingdom Arena, both Ronaldo and McGregor arrived and sat next to each other. That’s despite a mix-up with the seating plan that misspelled McGregor’s name, the pair ended up side by side.
McGregor, upon spotting the Al-Nassr forward, took off his jacket, rubbed his hands together, and sat down next to him. He seemed to be discussing Dmitry Bivol, who kept his WBA (Super) light-heavyweight title against Brit Lyndon Arthur, with another spectator. Talking about Bivol, McGregor was heard saying: “He’s the European star, and he’s the European amateur star. Very very good.”
McGregor didn’t waste any time chatting with Ronaldo either; a video showed the conversation was mostly one-sided, with McGregor eager to share his combat knowledge with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. They then shook hands, compared watches, and laughed before McGregor asked: “What we got there! Who’s winning? Who’s winning this one?”
The UFC star, who is planning his comeback in 2024, commented ‘It’s a small ring’, to which Ronaldo agreed. Initially, it seemed like Ronaldo wanted to switch seats as McGregor wouldn’t stop talking, but he ended up smiling when McGregor perhaps told a funny joke.
Ronaldo could have swapped places with the likes of Frank Warren. He was sitting next to Eddie Hearn, his long-term competitor, at the event hosted by Warren’s company, Queensberry Promotions in Saudi Arabia. Hearn was there for Joshua, his client.
Hearn’s relationship with Warren has had its ups and downs over the years, with Hearn allegedly taking some of Warren’s clients, making their rivalry even more intense.
Despite this, Hearn explains why they decided to work together. He said: “Matchroom and Queensberry will always be rivals, which is good for the fans because we will do our best to put on great shows, to be ahead of the competition,” in his BBC column. He added: “But I have always said when the opportunity is right for the fighter, egos will generally be put to one side.”
