Never doubt a man with hope and
faith.#FuryNgannou
| 10.28.2023 |
#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/44pfCQgGgq— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou)
July 11, 2023
It appears that things are unfolding exactly how Francis
Ngannou planned.
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The former UFC heavyweight king will square off against undefeated
boxing champion Tyson Fury
in a boxing match on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.
ESPN was first to report the date and location of the bout. It
is currently unclear if the fight will be for Fury’s WBC
heavyweight crown or if it will be an exhibition. The number of
rounds is also unknown.
One of the main points of contention between Ngannou and the UFC
was the promotion’s unwillingness to let its heavyweight champion
pursue fights in the boxing realm. That ultimately led to “The
Predator” becoming a free agent and signing with the Professional
Fighters League, where his contract allowed him to pursue his
dreams of competing in the Sweet Science. Ngannou owns a 17-3 mark
in MMA. He won his last six bouts in the UFC, including a
five-round decision win over Ciryl Gane
in his most recent outing in January 2022. He is expected to make
his PFL debut sometime in 2024 after his matchup against Fury.
“My dream was always to box, and to box the best,” Ngannou said in
a release. “After becoming the undisputed MMA heavyweight champion,
this is my opportunity to make that dream come true and cement my
position as the baddest man on the planet.”
Fury is 33-0-1 over the course of his boxing career with notable
wins over the likes of Deontay
Wilder (twice), Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian
Whyte and Derek Chisora (three times) on his resume.
“As soon as that bell goes, it”ll be bombs away,” Fury said in the
release. “This guy is supposed to be the hardest puncher in the
world, but let’s see how he reacts when he gets hit by the Big GK.
I can’t wait to get back out there under the lights. I’m looking
forward to showing the world that ‘The Gypsy King’ is the greatest
fighter of his generation in an epic battle with another master of
his craft. Francis looked tough when he jumped in the ring after
the (Dillian) Whyte fight, but there is no one tougher than
me.”
Ngannou and Fury initially teased a future fight when they met in
the ring following Fury’s victory over Whyte in London in April
2022. Ngannou revealed at the beginning of this year that he was
in talks with Fury’s representatives for a potential bout. At
the time, Fury was expected to face Oleksandr Usyk in April, but
negotiations for that booking ultimately fell through.