Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12
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Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Riyadh Season 2024 to Kick Off with Epic Showdown Featuring Boxing Stars on October 12

Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Advisor Turki Al Al-Sheikh has announced the much-anticipated fight at the fifth edition of Riyadh Season 2024 opening ceremony.
Boxing fans from around the world are eagerly awaiting the major event titled "IV Crown Showdown," which will take place in Riyadh on October 12, SPA reported. This event will serve as the launching point for a season filled with activities and entertainment that will put Riyadh at the forefront of the global event scene.
The IV Crown Showdown will be a special occasion for boxing fans. It will feature a clash between two light heavyweight titans: Russia's Artur Beterbiev, known for his overwhelming power and a record filled with knockout victories, and his fellow Russian Dmitry Bivol, regarded as one of the most tactical and intelligent boxers in this weight class. This confrontation is not just a title fight; it is a battle to prove supremacy in the light heavyweight division at the global level.
In addition to this main event, the audience will witness a series of thrilling matches featuring top international champions across various weight classes. US Shakur Stevenson will face Welshman Joe Cordina in the super featherweight category. In the middleweight division, British fighter Chris Eubank Jr., who has 18 knockouts, will challenge Polish boxer Kamil Szeremeta in what promises to be an exciting round.
In the heavyweight category, the audience will enjoy a British showdown between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke, both aiming to prove their worth in the Riyadh ring. In the cruiserweight division, Australian Jai Opetaia, who previously won by knockout in the "Ring of Fire" clash last December, will meet British fighter Jack Massey.
Other matches include the British silver medalist from the 2020 Olympics, Ben Whittaker, who took on his compatriot, Liam Cameron, in the light heavyweight division. Also, for the first time, a women's match will take place in Riyadh Season's boxing ring, with Australian Skye Nicolson battling British Raven Chapman in the featherweight category.
The audience will also witness a significant and memorable encounter between Saudi boxer Mohammed Al-Aqil and Mexican Jesus Gonzales in the welterweight division, adding a unique and national flavor to this global event.
The IV Crown Showdown is part of Riyadh Season, which has established itself as a major global entertainment destination.



Which Stars Will Join De Niro at Cannes This Year?

US actor Robert de Niro poses during a photocall for the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2023. (AFP)
US actor Robert de Niro poses during a photocall for the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2023. (AFP)
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Which Stars Will Join De Niro at Cannes This Year?

US actor Robert de Niro poses during a photocall for the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2023. (AFP)
US actor Robert de Niro poses during a photocall for the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2023. (AFP)

Robert De Niro is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes festival this year, with rumors that Tom Cruise will join him and other stars on the French Riviera.

The industry is buzzing with speculation about who will attend the world´s premier film event one month before it kicks off in the south of France.

Cinemas are desperate for some stardust and sparkling new films after a weak start to 2025.

Cannes president Iris Knobloch and long-time director Thierry Fremaux will unveil the selection of in-competition films and other major premieres at a press conference in Paris on Thursday.

They confirmed on Monday that De Niro, star of "Taxi Driver" and "Godfather Part II", was to be given an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony on May 13 for his contribution to cinema.

"With his restrained style, expressed through the softness of a smile or the hardness of a glance, Robert De Niro has become a legend of cinema," the festival said in a statement in French.

Fellow Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, now 62, has also been tipped to appear in Cannes three years after making a dramatic helicopter entrance at the festival for "Top Gun: Maverick."

Rumors suggest he may return with the latest instalment of "Mission: Impossible", which has been billed as the final chapter in the saga.

The film is slated for release in French cinemas on May 21, which would be perfect timing for a Cannes launch out of competition.

Many cinema owners are in need of a blockbuster and are banking on Cruise's star power to sell tickets after a terrible start to 2025 that has been marked by a series of expensive Hollywood flops.

These include Disney's live-action "Snow White," superhero sequel "Captain America: Brave New World" and bizarre sci-fi movie "Mickey 17".

The much-hyped "A Minecraft Movie", released last week, was panned by critics but might help to lift the gloom after a record-breaking opening weekend in the United States.

That saw fans of the legendary computer game flock to cinemas.

- Contenders -

The head of the Cannes jury this year is French screen legend Juliette Binoche, who will hand out the famed Palme d'Or for best film.

Around 20 movies are set to compete in the top category, looking to emulate the success of last year's winner, "Anora" by Sean Baker.

Terrence Malick, who won the Palme d´Or for "The Tree of Life" 14 years ago, has been tipped to return with a long-awaited project inspired by biblical stories.

Other festival veterans could also return, such as Jim Jarmusch ("Broken Flowers", "Dead Man"), whose latest film stars Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver.

Wes Anderson, 55, has also assembled yet another star-studded cast for his latest film, featuring Benicio Del Toro, Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson, 40, could bring a breath of fresh air to the festival by presenting her directorial debut, "Eleanor the Great".

Another actress-turned-director, Kristen Stewart, 34, has also recently completed her first feature film.

Experts have also suggested the new master of American horror, 38-year-old Ari Aster -- known for his chilling films "Hereditary" and "Midsommar" -- could make his Cannes debut with a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone.

Three French female directors, Julia Ducournau (2021 Palme d´Or winner for "Titane"), Rebecca Zlotowski ("Other People's Children", "An Easy Girl") or Alice Winocour, who has made a film about Paris Fashion Week starring Angelina Jolie, have also been named as contenders.

Exiled Russian filmmakers such as Kirill Serebrennikov, Andrey Zvyagintsev and rising talent Kantemir Balagov could also feature.

The festival has yet to announce its opening film or the full composition of the jury.