MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return.
Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field.
Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.
Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery
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Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery
- The club did not give a timeline for his return. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday
- He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field
Inoue, Nakatani aim to set up a showdown in Riyadh’s ‘Night of the Samurai’
TOKYO: Japanese boxing will be center-stage in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 27 when Riyadh hosts “The Ring V: Night of the Samurai,” with two undefeated champions – INOUE Naoya and NAKATANI Junto – likely to set up a Japanese blockbuster in 2026.
The Night of the Samurai will feature several Japanese boxers in world title fights, highlighted by the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Inoue, who will face off against Mexico’s Alan Picasso, 25, for the 32-year-old Inoue’s unified super-bantamweight belts. Both fighters are undefeated. Inoue has won 31 fights with 27 knockouts, while Picasso has 32 victories and one draw with 17 knockouts.
Nakatani (310, 24 KOs), the unified bantamweight champion, will make his super bantamweight debut against Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (200, 18 KOs), a 24yearold rising star. A win by Nakatani is likely to set up a showdown with Inoue at the Tokyo Dome in May next year.
On the undercard, Willibaldo Garcia will face former world flyweight champion TERAJI Kenshiro for the IBF super-flyweight title; IMANAGA Taiga will meet Armando Martinez in a lightweight bout; and TSUTSUMI Reito will fight Leobardo Quintana in a super-featherweight bout.
The WBA super-featherweight world title fight between TSUTSUMI Hayato and champion Jazza Dickens was canceled because Tsutsumi suffered a facial fracture during a sparring session.
The boxing event is part of the Riyadh Season of cultural, entertainment and sporting events, which is part of the larger Saudi Seasons initiative in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia has placed itself at the forefront of boxing promotion in recent years, staging massive title fights and non-title fights such as Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz, Tyson Fury vs. former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, Deontay Wilder against Zhilei Zhang, and Oleksandr Usyk vs.Joshua.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has become the most visible boxing promoter in the world and is one of the most influential figures in boxing. The Night of the Samurai will enable him to make his mark in Japan, which has a strong boxing culture.
“Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia is only going to grow in importance for boxing,” Inoue told Japanese media. The undefeated champion described Alalshikh as “a boxing fan who truly loves the sport.”
Inoue and Riyadh Season inked a $20 million sponsorship deal a year ago and the fight in Riyadh gives the promoter a massive boost in viewership in Japan.
“Fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time is motivating for me,” Inoue was quoted as saying. “I’ll enter the fight with a fresh mindset. It’s a little different from fighting in Japan, and there are unknowns, but I’m excited.”
