- The all-time soccer great
Cristiano Ronaldo says he prefers to watch boxing or MMA on TV to his own sport. - Speaking with the middleweight boxing star
Gennady Golovkin in a new documentary, Ronaldo said that while soccer was his "passion," he'd rather unwind by watching people going toe-to-toe in the ring or the Octagon. - Despite his love of
combat sports , Ronaldo said he's unlikely to get in the ring anytime soon. "I don't think so," he said when asked by Golovkin whether he could see himself as a fighter.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players ever to set foot on the pitch, but once he exits the field, he apparently has little interest in watching the sport he has dominated for over a decade.
Speaking with the middleweight boxing star Gennady Golovkin in a new documentary produced by the over-the-top
"Playing football is my passion, but I prefer watching other sports on TV," the Portuguese star told the International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Golovkin.
"Between watching a football match or a boxing or UFC fight, I choose boxing or UFC," he continued.
While saying he loved to watch the sport, Ronaldo acknowledged that he's not really the boxing type.
Asked by Golovkin whether he thought he could be a fighter, he simply replied: "I don't think so."
He did, however, say he did some boxing when he was younger, training with one of the coaches at Manchester United, where he played from 2003 to 2009.
"When I was at Manchester United, a coach boxed with me," he said. "I think practicing boxing is useful for football because it sharpens your senses and you learn to move."
DAZN's documentary, called "Parallel Worlds," aims to show two elite athletes close to the top of their respective games discussing the similarities and differences between themselves and the sports they love.
During the documentary, Ronaldo and Golovkin also discussed their upbringings and the nature of masculinity, with Ronaldo saying it is "good to be an emotional person."
"Who told you that men don't cry?" he said.
The documentary includes footage of Golovkin giving Ronaldo some tips on punching, leading the Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to joke on Twitter that Ronaldo could fight on cards for DAZN's Italian business in the future.
—Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) December 15, 2020
Hearn has a copromotional deal with Golovkin, meaning the Kazakh's fights are broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the US.
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