Why Cristiano Ronaldo missed Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou despite having ringside seat

Cristiano Ronaldo missed the blockbuster Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight despite having a ringside seat.

Celebrities were in attendance for Joshua vs. Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho turned up to see Joshua produce a stunning knockout victory over Ngannou as fight fans made the same complaint.

Brazil legend Ronaldo and AS Roma icon Francesco Totti, among other stars, were also at the event.

But Al Nassr superstar Ronaldo failed to show up for the fight even though he had a seat next to Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh.

He had a prime seat, marked 'CR7' but there was no sign of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner at the Kingdom Arena.

It appears Ronaldo didn't show up as he had an Al Nassr training session on Saturday morning ahead of a vital clash.

And Joshua vs. Ngannou didn't start until 3:30am local time.

The Saudi Pro League club shared images of today's training session on social media, accompanied with the caption: "No days off."

The 39-year-old seemed to prioritise sleep and training over a ringside seat for Joshua vs. Ngannou.

He did, however, visit Turki's house on fight week as he posed for a picture with Joshua, Ngannou and Tyson Fury.

Image: Turki Alalshikh. Image: Getty

Ronaldo, who is a big fight fan, attended the 'Day of Reckoning' card last December, which saw Joshua beat Otto Wallin.

Al Nassr have a huge showdown on Monday as they take on Al Ain in the AFC Champions League quarter-final.

They trail Al Ain one-nil following last Monday's defeat.

Al Nassr will look to overturn the deficit when they host Al Ain in the second-leg.

Ronaldo's side have not won a game since February 25, having drawn 4-4 with Al Hazm and lost to Al Ain and Al Raed.