Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua named Riyadh Season ambassador

Anthony Joshua. (AFP)
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Updated 27 June 2024
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Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua named Riyadh Season ambassador

RIYADH: British boxer Anthony Joshua has been signed up as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, according to the head of the the Kingdom’s entertainment authority.
Joshua will promote a range of boxing events that will be part of the annual festival, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, announced early Thursday.
Alalshikh expressed happiness in selecting the distinguished boxer for the role, which will contribute to the furthering the expansion of this sport.
Anthony Joshua highlighted the impact of Riyadh Season through competition and attending events in the Kingdom, expressing his great enthusiasm for this collaboration.
The former world heavyweight said he is looking forward to enhancing the stature of Riyadh Season.
“I’ve seen first-hand both through competing and attending events in Saudi Arabia just how impactful Riyadh Season can be,” he said.
Joshua is considered one of the leading names in modern boxing, having won the Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight category in London in 2012. Since then, he has continued to achieve milestones, including WBO, WBA, and IBF titles. Joshua will also contribute to promoting a wide range of global boxing events during the season as a global ambassador, in addition to attending a variety of events during Riyadh Season.


Real Madrid handed shock home loss as Celta Vigo spring surprise

Updated 08 December 2025
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Real Madrid handed shock home loss as Celta Vigo spring surprise

  • Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins

MADRID: Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 loss and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Sunday after Williot Swedberg scored an audacious goal with his heel and a second in stoppage time to leave the hosts four points off leaders Barcelona.
Swedish substitute Swedberg cleverly diverted a cross from Bryan Zaragoza past Thibaut Courtois in the 53rd minute to put Celta ahead and had an easy finish three minutes into added time, going around the goalkeeper to wrap up the points.
Real’s cause was not helped by the 64th minute dismissal of Fran Garcia, who picked up two yellow cards in 60 seconds, but they laid siege to the visitors’ goal for the last 20 minutes as Celta went into a defensive shell to hold onto their advantage.
Real defender Alvaro Carreras was also dismissed for two cautions, his second coming in stoppage time at the end of the game as the home side’s frustrations boiled over.
It was a second clean sheet in 15 league games this season for Celta, whose keeper Ionut Radu made a first-half save from Jude Bellingham’s header and stopped a second-half free-kick whipped in by Kylian Mbappe.
Real stay on 36 points from 16 games as Celta celebrated a first win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 19 years, leaving the Galician club with 19 points.
“With the team they have and their quality, it’s difficult to match them, but we read the game well,” said Celta striker Borja Iglesias. “We had possession, we played in their half, we played a fantastic match.”
Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins.
Xabi Alonso’s stuttering Real team have now won only one of their last five league games as they await the midweek arrival of Manchester City in the Champions League.
Earlier on Sunday, Espanyol moved up to fifth as Roberto Fernandez’s first half penalty handed them a 1-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano as both sides finished with 10 men.
Elche’s Rafa Mir scored twice as they ran out 3-0 home winners over struggling Girona, while hosts Valencia and Sevilla remained in the bottom half of the table after a 1-1 draw.