Without a doubt, none of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most loyal fans were happy about Al-Nassr’s unexpected elimination in the AFC Champions League semifinals… except for one. That would be Canelo Álvarez, who will be fighting William Scull at the Arena ANB in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on May 3 in pursuit of a new super middleweight title—and if nothing changes, he’ll do so under the watchful eye of Cristiano Ronaldo himself.

Cristiano’s mistake that doomed Al-Nassr

In a recent interview with TUDN, Canelo Álvarez revealed that he has a close relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. They follow each other on Instagram and have even exchanged phone numbers. So, since his next fight will be in Riyadh, Canelo didn’t miss the chance to invite Cristiano Ronaldo. “Yeah, of course, we already talked, he’s going to be there. I’m obviously going to visit him at training while I’m there. And of course, he’s also coming to the fight, he has to be there.”

However, the scheduling of the AFC Champions League had cast doubt on Cristiano Ronaldo’s attendance at Canelo Álvarez’s fight, since the match was only a few hours earlier. But all of that changed when Al-Nassr was eliminated in the semifinals by Kawasaki Frontale. A match that Canelo Álvarez undoubtedly watched very closely—and, in a way, may have been slightly ‘glad’ about, due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s huge mistake in stoppage time that could have tied the game.

Canelo wants to walk out with Cristiano

Now, after Al-Nassr’s unexpected exit from the AFC Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo will have a few free days before returning to action on May 7 against Al-Ittihad, where Karim Benzema plays, in Matchday 30 of the Saudi Pro League. That might be Al-Nassr’s last major chance to get back into the title race in Saudi Arabia, and they’ll need Cristiano Ronaldo in top form for that game.

Now that they’re out of the AFC Champions League, it’s likely that Cristiano Ronaldo will accept Canelo Álvarez’s invitation to attend his fight against William Scull at the Arena ANB. In another recent interview, Canelo Álvarez even mentioned the possibility that Cristiano Ronaldo might walk out with him to the ring. “I haven’t talked to him yet. I’m going to call him in the next few days—he’ll probably be there, but let’s see if he wants to walk out with me,” the Mexican boxer said. We’ll see if Cristiano agrees to his request and makes his wish come true… although his presence hasn’t been confirmed yet.