WHAT HAPPENED?
Usyk has held the world heavyweight and cruiserweight championships since 2021 and has defended his titles on five different occasions with three of those defences taking place in Saudi Arabia. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has been present at all three of Usyk’s title defences in the Middle Eastern country and Usyk was now able to visit Al-Nassr’s training camp and meet up with the Portugal captain on his turf.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Al-Nassr posted a video of Usyk visiting their training camp on Sunday, two days after Ronaldo’s side lost 3-2 to Al-Ettifaq at Al-Awwal Park, where the Ukrainian was also felicitated. However, the spirit was high in the training camp as the squad met up and had a conversation with the highly-rated boxer. Additionally, Usyk posted a photo of himself with Ronaldo, naming the two qualities the Portuguese superstar boasts as worthy of ‘respect’.
WHAT USKY SAID
On Instagram, Usyk posted a photo of Ronaldo with him and his team and captioned the post: “Warm conversations with great champion! Always learning from each other, sharing experiences, and enjoying the moment. Respect to Cristiano for his dedication and mindset. See you soon, my friend.”
WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO AND USYK?
The Ukrainian boxer will likely cross paths with Ronaldo on many more occasions with Saudi Arabia slowly becoming the epicentre of massive boxing showdowns. Usyk is likely to face another challenge to his boxing titles later this year with Joseph Parker sounding a challenge to the title holder.