Ronaldo’s panicked reaction during the match between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury. What’s happened ? Exploring the truth behind it below

• Cristiano Ronaldo was ringside at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight in Saudi Arabia, showing visible tension and taking deep breaths as he watched the exciting bout unfold.
• The fight did not go as expected, with Ngannou impressively holding his own against Fury and even knocking him down in the third round. Many believed Ngannou should have won the fight.
• Despite the intense fight, Ronaldo also had success on the football field earlier that day, registering another assist for his club side, Al-Nassr, in their 3-1 victory over Al Feiha.

Cristiano Ronaldo was certainly feeling the tension at ringside last night as he took a deep breath while taking in the big blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

The footballing great was part of a cast of A-list celebrities that attended the fight and the opening of Riyadh Season. Musicians Eminem and Kanye West joined Ronaldo and a whole host of other combat sport royalty for the Battle of the Baddest.

Ronaldo appeared to be fidgety as he watched the historic fight unfold, with Ngannou shocking everyone with his boxing pedigree. Both Fury and Ngannou are seemingly friends with Ronaldo, so it was difficult to see which fighter the Portuguese international was rooting for.

In a video that has gone viral and posted to the Boxing on TNT Sports X account, the former Manchester United player looked to be restless, taking a deep breath as both men continued to exchange blows.

Fury narrowly won the fight controversially via split-decision with the three ringside judges scoring the bout 94-95, 96-93, 95-94, with many people online and in attendance believing Ngannou did enough to win the encounter.

However, the blockbuster fight certainly didn’t go the way everyone expected it to go, as Ngannou looked extremely comfortable in the ring with Fury and it most definitely wasn’t the mismatch it was expected to be. The MMA star even dropped the unbeaten heavyweight champion of the world after he connected with a left hook in the third round.

Tyson Fury & Francis Ngannou speak post-fight

Even Fury admitted it didn’t go the way he expected it to, as he spoke after the fight: “That definitely wasn’t in the script. Francis is a hell of a fighter, strong, a big puncher, and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would ever be. He’s a very awkward man, a good puncher and I respect him a lot. He wasn’t coming forward, standing back and waiting for me to land my punches and then trying to counter – he’s a good fighter. He’s given me probably one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years.”

Ngannou understandably felt as though his hand should have been raised, however, as he said: “The fact that I didn’t win surprised me… If he’s being honest, he would say I won that fight. I won that fight, there’s not a question about it. But even before getting here I knew I’m not winning a decision. Because I’m a new guy in the house. I know they need – there’s a structural business out there – and you need to do a lot to destroy that. It is what it is.”

Video: Cristiano Ronaldo’s ringside reactions

Post-fight, Fury’s face looked battered and bruised, while Ngannou looked fresh-faced and barely had a mark to show that he just went toe-to-toe with the heavyweight champion of the world.

Earlier on in the day in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, Ronaldo registered another assist, his eighth of the season in all competitions for his club side, as Al-Nassr beat Al Feiha 3-1. His side picked up their eighth league win of the season and currently sit second in the Saudi Pro League, four points behind the leaders Al-Hilal.