Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo compare watches at Anthony Joshua fight

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Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo compare watches at Anthony Joshua fight
Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo compare watches at Anthony Joshua fight

Conor McGregor may not be fighting on the blockbuster 'Day of Reckoning' boxing card in Riyadh - but the UFC star was still desperate to get one over Cristiano Ronaldo.

Both men were among the star-studded audience in Saudi Arabia for Anthony Joshua's heavyweight clash with Otto Wallin. Deontay Wilder is also fighting on the same card against Joseph Parker, while Brit Daniel Dubois beat Jarrell Miller by knockout earlier in the evening, followed by Dmitry Bivol earning victory over Lyndon Arthur on points.

McGregor and Ronaldo took their seats next to each other at ringside and were quickly engaged in intense conversation - before the Irishman spotted the former Manchester United icon's flashy watch on his wrist.

Swiftly brandishing his own timepiece, McGregor compared his silver watch, with white face and black strap, to Ronaldo's number, putting them side-by-side for a closer look. "Who's winning this one?" an enthusiastic McGregor boomed.

A slightly embarrassed Ronaldo showed off his gold watch with purple and red strap, though the pair stopped short of determining a winner of their glamour show. Ronaldo was also sporting an eye-catching silver necklace as well as a green Gucci jacket worth a cool £2000.

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McGregor had already been in the spotlight after an embarrassing error from the event organisers. The Irishman's name was misspelt on his ringside seat for Joshua's clash with Wallin. In a video posted to social media showing the ringside seating arrangement, McGregor's first name was spelt "Connor" while his surname had a small 'g' instead of a capital.

Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo compare watches at Anthony Joshua fightConor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo compared watches ahead of the 'Day Of Reckoning'

McGregor is making his second visit to the Middle East state in two months having been ringside for Tyson Fury's clash with Francis Ngannou in October. On that occasion, Fury was dropped by the former UFC champion before recovering to win on points and maintain his unbeaten record.

Joshua is confident he can avoid a similar slip-up. "Without Saturday night there is no future. Saturday night I’ve been saying all week is my main focus. Whatever happens in the ring, I know that’s where my heart is. I need to get this win," he said.

“If my prayers are answered, I’ll get the win. I’ve been focused, praying hard and, whatever God wants from me, I’m going to follow that path. I’m making sure it’s not just prayer, I’m following up by action as well.”

“I’m a serious fighter, I’m a serious businessman, I’ve got a great team behind me and they’re handling business. As I always say, let me focus on what I’ve got to focus on.”

Joshua has suffered three losses in his career so far – being beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019 before Oleksandr Usyk defeated him twice – while the Swedish southpaw has only one career loss to date against Tyson Fury and claims there will be a “new king” on Saturday.

Wallin said: “I’m a small fighter. I’m a southpaw. I’ve trained for this moment for a very long time so I’m very much ready for it. I know tomorrow there’s going to be a new king and he’s from Sweden.”

Jacob Leeks

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