On 18 May 2024, the whole world came to a halt when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury engaged in one of the best heavyweight bouts of all time. And now, the duo is just a few hours away from facing each other in a world-beater rematch and no one wants to miss this clash.
As the night passes by, the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh is getting more and more star-studded. Celebrities from every industry are in the audience to witness this rematch with Hollywood star Jason Statham also joining the party with his fiance, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. However, it was not a heroic entry as he is used to as the ‘Beekeeper’ got trolled by the fans brutally.
Furthermore, it was not the only question he dodged during his arrival. BBC Sport took to their Instagram to post a clip of Statham’s arrival. In the clip, the interviewer asks the 57-year-old, “Jason, do you think you’d beat The Rock in the ring?” referring to Statham’s ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ co-star Dwayne Johnson. Johnson and Statham have previously appeared together in a few films in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Statham dodged the question and had a dry smile before taking his seat beside His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. DAZN Sports also posted a video of Statham entering the arena on their ‘X.’ However, the clip rubbed some fans the wrong way as they thought that stars like Statham were taking the attention away from Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
Jason Statham Dodging the awkward question
Statham was immediately surrounded by journalists as he arrived at the Kingdom Arena. An interviewer asked the 57-year-old about his prediction for the match, which stumped him. The star cheekily dodged the question during his arrival but answered it later in a conversation with Sky Sports. He declared that it would be a highly competitive bout, but was unable to predict a winner.
A fan wrote in the comments, “Make it about boxing, not celebrity,” claiming that outside celebrities should not be the focus of such a major event. While the fan had the right intentions, his anger might be misplaced. After all, every single star in the arena is present to watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk clash. On this night, no one can steal their spotlight.
Another fan, annoyed by Statham’s dry replies, wrote, “He’s not very cool is he.” According to the fan, the ‘Mechanic’ star should have answered every question directly, rather than making it such a mystery.
Another user took a cheeky dig at Statham and his fiance and wrote, “Lovely he’s brought his daughter to the fight.” It was a visible dig on the 20-year-age gap between Statham and Whiteley.
Amongst the sea of criticism, few fans appreciated the star for attending the event. A fan wrote, “It’s good to be Jason Statham,” claiming that the actor has achieved almost everything in his career. Another user, evidently a big fan of the actor wrote, “Jason Statham my man,” appreciating him for attending the event.
While several fans are trolling Statham, the actor has a genuine passion for boxing and martial arts. He has even trained in several combat sports, including kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and will have the front seat to see Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk going to war. Let us know your thoughts down below.
