The Big Time season has officially begun with an epic showdown and numerous famous faces
The Big Time season has officially begun with an epic showdown and numerous famous faces
Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off this weekend with the much-anticipated head-to-head between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou
30 October 23
Riyadh Season 2023: Battle of the Baddest
Image source:
IG tr_boxing
The fourth edition of Riyadh Season officially kicked off this weekend.
Riyadh was abuzz with excitement this weekend as the festive season commenced with one of the most anticipated events of the 2023 event - The Battle of the Baddest.
Turki Alalsheikh, Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) officially inaugurated the start of Riyadh Season 2023 at the Kingdom Arena ahead of the anticipated fight night. The title fight took place in the Kingdom Arena with an impressive capacity for 26,000 onlookers, whilst the under-card fights took place in the nearby Boulevard Hall hosting an additional number of spectators.
Check out more exciting sporting events taking place during Riyadh Season 2023, right here.
The world-class opening ceremony was witnessed by a global audience as the event was streamed live around the world. The kick off event for the fourth edition of Riyadh Season was one of the largest seen, and the atmosphere most definitely lived up to the theme of this year's event, 'The Big Time'.
To keep the audience entertained, and to add an additional layer of excitement to the event, the audience in attendance were treated to massive, live performances from talented music artists Becky G and the iconic rapper, Lil Baby.
The clash of the heavy-weights titans took place on Saturday October 28 to a rapturous crowd that included massive stars such as Eminem, Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor and Kanye West. Legends of the boxing and wrestling industry such as Mike Tyson, WWE Chief Vince McMahon and Bob Arum also made appearances.
Becky G (Image: Top Rank) 
Lil Baby (Image: Top Rank)
Mike Tyson 
Conor McGregor 
Turki Al-Sheikh
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh (Image: Top Rank)
Alalsheikh promised, “Riyadh Season 2023 is back for its fourth edition of world class experiences and live events — keeping its claim as one of the most anticipated entertainment seasons worldwide. Following its opening ceremony, Riyadh Season 2023 will kick-off with an electrifying boxing match on October 28th, 2023. MMA and boxing audiences will witness the ultimate clash between two champions, Tyson Fury against Francis Ngannou. This face-off will set a new standard for such an event.”
Heavy-weight champion of the world, Tyson Fury retained his title of undefeated champ. In a split decision by judges, Fury was declared winner of the inaugural title fight of Battle of the Baddest, whilst his opponent Francis Ngannou held up a good fight in the athlete's first foray outside of MMA.
The anticipated showdown lasted the entire ten rounds.
The winner, Fury, will take home the one-of-a-kind, never held before belt of Battle of the Baddest, Riyadh Season 2023. The specially created belt was unveiled just three days ahead of the big fight by President of the World Boxing Championship, Mauricio Sulaiman.
Thoughtfully designed, the main leather part of the belt represent the Saudi Arabian national identity with its rich, forest green shade. Whilst at the heart of this incredible design, flags from around the world encircle the badge and the Saudi Arabian flag is in the centre, alongside the Riyadh Season logo.
The words "Riyadh Champion" shimmer in elegant gold lettering adorned with diamonds, alongside a bedazzled WBC. Notably, the belt also includes octagon shapes, synonymous with MMA - a nod to Ngannou's debut in boxing from his mixed martial arts background.
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