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Fans slam 'pathetic' opening ceremony ahead of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

Fans slam 'pathetic' opening ceremony ahead of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

An opening ceremony was held at the Kingdom Arena before Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou made their way to the ring.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Fans have slammed the opening ceremony which took place before Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou's heavyweight fight.

The WBC world heavyweight champion and former UFC heavyweight king are squaring off in a 10-rounder in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

But before the the two got inside the ring, a special 'Riyadh Season' ceremony took place inside the Kingdom Arena.

Lil Baby, Flowdan and Rosalia were among the performers on the stage but those watching at home on TNT Sports box office were just waiting for it to finish.

One wrote: "Get this opening ceremony sh**e off and the boxing on. Pathetic this."

A second said: "Why we having an opening ceremony for a 'fight' that will prob last one round. My ears are bleeding..."

A third vented: "This opening ceremony performances have been total trash! Zero talent on show... "

A fourth user weighed in: "Opening ceremony can do one. Just get the fight going."

A fifth had the same view, writing: "I can't believe I'm seeing a ridiculous opening ceremony for a boxing main event."

A final fan joked: "Opening ceremony is going to end up being about 10 times longer than the fight."

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

The ceremony finished with the ring rising up from the ground. The undercard at the event took place in a different room in the venue.

The list of stars who were in attendance for the tear-up was nothing short of stacked, with the likes of Conor McGregor, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eminem, Kanye West, Rio Ferdinand, Aymeric Laporte, Chuck Liddell, Allan Saint-Maximin and Oleksandr Usyk all turning out.

Featured Image Credit: TNT Sports

Topics: Francis Ngannou, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury, Fan Reactions

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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