As part of the opening events for the fourth edition of Riyadh Season, Turki bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, crowned boxing world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury with the Riyadh Season belt after he defeated his opponent, mixed martial arts heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The 2023 Riyadh Season was inaugurated under the slogan "BIG TIME," in the presence of various members of diplomatic bodies in the Kingdom, as well as celebrities and athletes, including global football star and Brazilian phenomenon Ronaldo, Portuguese national team player and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo, Filipino political boxer Manny Pacquiao, American boxing legend Lennox Lewis, and world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who held the title for seven years.
The season kicked off with a speech from Turki Al-Sheikh, stating: "The fourth edition of Riyadh Season is special and will fulfill your dreams and wishes, God willing. In conclusion, welcome to Riyadh Season." The audience witnessed the historic clash between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury for the Riyadh Season belt. The match between the two global champions spanned ten rounds of exchanged punches and blows, during which Ngannou managed to knock his opponent down in the third round. However, the overall victory went to British fighter Tyson Fury.
After the match, Francis Ngannou expressed his intention to return with more training and greater experience, emphasizing that he now has full confidence in his abilities, as he spent three and a half months training. Tyson Fury, the winner of the match, acknowledged that his opponent was strong and highlighted his own capabilities and status in boxing.
The Riyadh Season belt, handed to Tyson Fury by Turki Al-Sheikh, is uniquely handcrafted, bearing the Riyadh Season 2023 logo and the color of the Saudi flag green, and is the only one of its kind in the world, contested in both boxing and martial arts simultaneously.
The UNDERCARD matches held hours before the opening ceremony and the main bout featured strong competitions among several boxing stars. British boxer Fabio Wardley won against his compatriot David Adeleye, successfully defending a title that had left Britain for the first time. New Zealander Joseph Parker defeated Canadian Simon Kean by knockout in the third round, while Jack McGann maintained his undefeated record by defeating Roberto Duran Jr. in the second round of their bout.
Congolese Martin Bakole triumphed over Cameroonian Carlos Takam, and English fighter Musa Eitoma also defeated Hungarian Istvan Bernath in the first round, asserting that this was just the beginning and that he was ready for any other fight, even simultaneously.
The season celebrated the launch of its fourth edition tonight, commencing events that attract visitors from all over the world to the Kingdom during the winter months each year; offering numerous musical concerts, exhibitions, and other unique entertainment activities featuring a selection of celebrities and major brands.
