Tyson Fury v Francis Ngannou

Boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will fight Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia, promoters announced Tuesday.

The latest high-profile crossover boxing match between a mixed martial artist and a professional boxer will take place in a regulation ring, with three ringside judges using the 10-point scoring system. The fight announcement by promoter Top Rank didn’t specify whether the bout will count on the fighters’ professional boxing records or whether Fury’s WBC heavyweight title will be on the line.

Fury and Ngannou have talked about a potential meeting for more than a year since Ngannou’s acrimonious departure from the UFC. Promotional companies Queensberry, Top Rank and Ngannou’s promotional banner, GIMIK Fight Promotions, partnered with Riyadh Season — Saudi Arabia's state-sponsored entertainment and sports festival — to host the fight in Riyadh.

Fury first became the unified world heavyweight champion in November 2015 when he toppled Wladimir Klitschko. After losing his belts during nearly three years of inactivity, the 34-year-old Englishman regained the WBC heavyweight title in 2020 and established himself as the world's top heavyweight.

Fury is 33-0-1 (24 KOs) after stopping Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora last year. He was in negotiations to meet unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk later this year to determine an undisputed champ, but the fight fell apart.

“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,” Fury said of Ngannou in a news release. “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.

“It’s going to be a fight for the ages.”

Ngannou will make his professional boxing debut after going 17-3 (12 KOs) in MMA. The Cameroon-born Frenchman who trains in Las Vegas became the UFC’s first African heavyweight champion in 2021, and he defended his title in January 2022 with a clear unanimous-decision victory over undefeated interim champ Ciryl Gane.

“My dream was always to box, and to box the best,” he said. “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.”

The 36-year-old Ngannou said he has been waiting to fight Fury for three years. He decided not to re-sign with the UFC after his promotional contract expired last year, becoming the first active champion to walk away from MMA’s dominant promotion in nearly two decades.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/othe...159c2864&ei=14

This is a boxing forum. Delete

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has revealed that Tyson Fury has been granted "special permission" to fight former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. The news comes just hours after a fight date has been agreed between the duo for later this year.

Following the announcement, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has revealed how Fury was able to get permission to fight, and that he won't be stripped of any titles for the bout. "Last night it was announced that the Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will be fighting in Saudi Arabia against UFC's former champion Francis Ngannou in a ten round fight," he said.

"He asked for a special permission to the World Boxing Council. As you know Fury did everything possible to fight [Oleksandr] Usyk since December of last year, he has tried everything possible to fight [Anthony] Joshua, to fight against Andy Ruiz.

"Anyways, he hasn't been able to land a top tier fight and it is because of that, by not having an official challenger, he has been granted permission to do a fight in October 28 in Saudi Arabia."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...59c2864&ei=344

You never listen

At least it's not chisora 4.......

Well I was hoping that people had decided like me that this shouldn’t go on the boxing forum, but hey ho.
Fuck Fury, fuck the WBC! DISGRACEFUL.

Ridiculous. Fury is a bit of a dosser really.

Very good fighter, wasting his career, cheapening his reputation. Fighting a guy who has never had a professional boxing match and trying to hype it as competitive ….. after ruining negotiations with Usyk and Joshua.

Knob.

Can't really say it's for the money either, the Saudis would pay him a ton no matter who he fought, it's just an amazing dodge/duck/dip/dive/dodge.

is this even going on their records? probably just an exhibition

Fury specifically says it's not an exhibition.... So it could well end up being an exhibition, he's not the most reliable source.

I'm beginning to separate some of my loathing of the current division in focusing of Fury more so. This is abysmal. The entire situation and manufacturing at work all the way to and obviously encouraged by the wbc front office. At the very least the complacency and making excuses. As long as they get paid. By giving this pass to partake in the circus with Sulaiman basically stating there were no other options and all efforts were made. Which on its face is BS. They have openly declared their ranking meaningless and garbage. Imagine being a top ten fighter who worked to be 'placed' there and being told Fury can't get a fight. Exhibition or no exhibition...does it really matter :cwm13:. The man is the wbc world champion who just a year or two ago was being mentioned seriously in GOAT talk. With a straight face! Since then he's reduced himself to a literal rambling cartoon. The 3rd Chisora spar WAS his stay busy cash grab let's be honest. The man is a fraud. At least when Floyd went to his circus vs a boxing novice who he proceeded to carry he was coming out of retirement ffs and not a CURRENT world champion avoiding major fights.

well as this post is remaining on here I'll comment.

From hero to absolute zero and he had the nerve to mention 'irrelevant people' yesterday - eg the fans who've made him a very rich man.

Hope he gets sparked the fuck out - oh wait he can't as there's a no knockdown rule. Will someone please explain how that rule is enforced with two big guys trying to land flush ??

As said he's doing this whilst he's still at the top and fucked his legacy that he could have cemented. Prick. Sparked then stripped of the title hopefully and he can become irrelevant again.

I forgave Balboa fighting Thunderlips as that was for charity but this.......

Don't forget people. It's a game changing event. No boxer has ever fought a non boxer before. Other than all the other times a boxer has fought a non boxer. At least Ali and Wepner had the decency to get it out the way on the same night.

Ah so apparently it's not an exhibition and normal rules apply so knockdowns etc in play.

Come on Francis !!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Ah so apparently it's not an exhibition and normal rules apply so knockdowns etc in play.

Come on Francis !!!

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Counts on his record too ;D. Was reminded earlier of when Foreman was ridiculed after losing to Ali for that "Toronto five" thing he did. Fighting five guys on one night in 3 rounders. But shat at least they had professional experience. And were not credited on his pro record ;D