Amid all the glittering lights and the extravagant festivities for the biggest fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, one particular part didn’t sit well with the boxing fans. When the fans had their eyes glued to the screen before the main event went live, American rapper JID took center stage, rather a stage atop the stage. But the act lacked luster and failed to live up to its hype, as the fans then shunned the organizers and the performer.
Amusingly, JID performed the act and sang his iconic, chartbuster songs as he stood in a cage, hanging above the ring at the Kingdom Arena. The 30-year-old became a household name with his hit songs like ‘151 Rum’ and ‘Dance Now,’ which holds testament to his quick-fire flow and the detail to the lyrics. Particularly, he shot to fame with his album ‘DiCaprio 2’ and most recently released ‘The Forever Story’ in 2022.
The audience in the arena also listened to one of the more famous songs from his latest project, ‘Surround Sound’, as he performed ahead of the anticipated fight. However, his performance didn’t hit home with the fans, as most of them failed to recognize him or even feel his energy. Meanwhile, others questioned the way the act was staged.
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Fan compares boxing shows to the Beatles performing
A fan, eagerly waiting for the main event action and puzzled by a rapper preceding the headliner, asked, “who the hell is this bloke and why hasn’t he stopped yet?”
who the hell is this bloke and why hasn’t he stopped yet? #FuryUsyk
— Burko (@reaIburko) May 18, 2024
A user lashed out at the boxing cards organized in Saudi Arabia. Despite the previous high stakes bouts, the attendance remained low and there were more efforts to make it a boxing spectacle. They even criticized the fake crowd noise used by the organizers to stimulate the audience. They wrote, “Boxing shows in Saudi are shockingly bad. You could reincarnate the Beetles and get them to perform, and it would still be awful with your fake crowd noise”
Boxing shows in Saudi are shockingly bad. You could reincarnate the Beetles and get them to perform, and it would still be awful with your fake crowd noise #FuryUsyk
— Paul Ball (@paulb2290) May 18, 2024
An impatient fan questioned the choice of JID and asked the organizers to remove him and put in Usyk and Fury instead of JID inside the ring. They said, “biggest fight in 25 years and they got this sh*te? Just get them in the ring ffs!”
biggest fight in 25 years and they got this shite? Just get them in the ring ffs! #FuryUsyk
— Alex James🏴 (@Alex_James95) May 18, 2024
A comment criticized the theatrics pulled by JID, such as singing on a cube above the ring and varying light effects. Therefore, the comment called JID “lame a*s artist.”
#FuryUsyk lame ass artist
— .justin (@just_n8765309) May 18, 2024
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A fan was left frustrated by the unwanted prolonged break before the main event action. While they were captivated by JID’s antics, they didn’t find his singing impressive. They announced, “For f*ck sake who is thia dude they got “singing”. Looks cool but utter trash.”
For fuck sake who is thia dude they got “singing”. Looks cool but utter trash #FuryUsyk
— Tony Brother (@FunnyTimeFun) May 18, 2024
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What do you make of the performance by rapper JID at the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury main event? Let us know in the comments below.