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 !!!

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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

Seems like he has not grown out of punching himself in the face.


What a fucking muppet.

If fury had defeated everyone and held all the gold then this type of fight would be ok.
But pricing yourself out of big bouts then taking this for the money is a bit naughty.
Would be pretty funny if Ngannou chins him in the first.

And an actual rematch clause :lolhaha:. Fury is officially a ghost.

more smoke & mirrors for the promotion
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F2t-uTMa...jpg&name=small

I didn't think this was a real right, but it is. FRank Warren is a POS... He told some podcasters that he is in the business of selling events, not making fights... So expect Fury to face Rishi Sunak in the Summer of 2024. Sighs...

‘I am hearing rumours that [talks between AJ & Wilder’s camps] have stopped at the minute and [Joshua’s camp] are looking more towards Fury vs AJ again instead of AJ and Wilder,’ Bellew told BitCoinCasinos.

‘The talk is of another fight going to Africa, which would be absolutely incredible.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...4bf11b06&ei=66

Fury v AJ the big one money wise.

If wilder sparked him it's devalued. So I guess this makes sense

We have the potential for the most goated 1-0 record EVER

This is a pretty big success story for Ngannou.

He won the UFC heavyweight belt. Then he agreed to fight Jon Jones but UFC didn't want to pay them for the superfight. Then the UFC tried to force Ngannou to take a multi-fight deal to get a raise for fighting ANYONE. So, he held out and took a fight against Cyril Gane with everything on the line (if he loses, he loses all leverage to negotiate a new contract). Francis entered that fight with tears in one of his knees, but fought anyway and STILL won.

So Ngannou, fresh off his win made his contract requests to the UFC who turned him down again.

The way Dana treated Francis was disgusting. He was hyping him up previously before Francis entered contract renegotiations. Dana then starts badmouthing him. Dana thought he was a naive- happy to be here unintelligent brute from Africa he could control and manipulate.

Francis moved on and the UFC painted Francis as a coward. They made him out to be running from Jon Jones. Meanwhile, he went to negotiate with other organizations whose promoters ALSO threw him under the bus. Strikeforce and ONE FC's promoters both publicly dropped out of negotiations and said Francis wanted too much.

Ngannou still got himself a great deal with PFL. He got paid, got more promotion and facilities for fighters in Africa, and most importantly...he got rights to negotiate exhibitions. The UFC NEVER lets fighters do this (they only made an exception for Conor McGregor, who they continue to bow to at all turns). Hmm I wonder why ? Well, he has the right complexion. Anyway, that key piece of the deal opened the door for Ngannou to chase a big boxing match.

But Francis' options were drying up. Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder talked about it, but basically seemed to use the Ngannou option as leverage to negotiate other professional boxing matches. Fury was negotiating with Usyk at the time, but due to Fury not wanting any of Usyk that fell through. So, suddenly Fury was available and other HW's had their match-ups set or close to set. So Ngannou's patience paid off for the second time. First, he waited to get a deal for what he felt he was worth and then he got the Fury fight.

He did all that, while negotiating mostly for himself. I'm not sure about the Boxing negotiations, but Ngannou supposedly handled the PFL deal himself for the most part. Francis got the bag from PFL, now he gets the boxing bag too.

I'm a big Tyson fury fan. even I'm getting tired of his shit. The WBC should strip him of his title. If he doesn't want to defend his title. Let somebody else do it. Ali defends his title 9 times in 3 years.

Can’t wait to miss it. No really ;D. Seriously though in the big picture, this traveling carny event leads the way in stagnation with the division and just feeds the golden crown Frankenstein of promotion in Saudi and watching everyone spoiled on the teet believing just stepping a foot in a ring now demands guaranteed multi millions no questions asked.

Best case in this is short brutal and a clear separation right off. But the um cynic in me says it’ll be drawn out full of theatrics and Fury putting on a stage act. I don’t doubt Francis will try his best and commit but eventually it’ll be a case of “tough guy but he’s just happy to be here”.

probably the last thing i'll post about this event
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F30usFiX...g&name=900x900

Is Joseph Parker vs. Lucas Browne going to be on the undercard?

fabio wardley v david adeleye could be on the undercard

carlos takam v martin bakole on the card
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F77eU9cX...jpg&name=small

It's difficult to know what to expect ahead of Saturday's heavyweight spectacle in Saudi Arabia as former UFC star Francis Ngannou makes his professional boxing debut against WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury.

The 10-round main event of an ESPN+ pay-per-view card from Riyadh will be an official boxing match, and not an exhibition, although Fury's world title will not be at stake in an event billed as a meeting between the two baddest men on the planet in all of combat sports.

1. It's a mistake not having Tyson Fury's heavyweight title at stake

The above is a sentence that I can't believe I just typed given that Ngannou, who left his native Cameroon for France at age 26 to pursue boxing training (yet ended up sleeping in his car outside of an MMA gym in Paris), has zero pro boxing experience.

While the 37-year-old Ngannou's personal journey from MMA novice to UFC champion in just eight years is an impressive one, it's simply not enough to warrant a shot at a real boxing title in his first pro fight. Right? Well, from the standpoint of traditional thinking, the answer would be yes. But considering that Fury-Ngannou is an unabashed entertainment spectacle designed to lure as many curious fans to shell out cash in order to see for themselves what happens next, there's another argument to be had.

Without a title at stake, the fight has just about zero meaning, which should affect the total number of PPV buys. And while few with an active pulse would ever outright predict an Ngannou upset, the mere threat of one -- especially considering it would ruin the December four-belt, undisputed heavyweight title bout between Fury and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk -- would provide enough legitimacy for the match that it would be difficult for any combat sports fan to outright avoid. Instead, Ngannou would likely need to do the impossible (defeating Fury) twice in order to reap the full reward of such an unlikely occurrence.

2. With all that said, Fury better not screw this up

While the last few years have almost spoiled boxing's hardcore fan base with the amount of four-belt unification fights, there's no division it matters more in than heavyweight. Long the gateway drug for casual boxing fans to reconnect with the sport, a healthy heavyweight division means everything for the long term health of the sport, which is why a fight like Usyk-Fury is so important.

With four recognized champions in each division and a handful of unnecessary secondary titles floating around, things can become confusing for fans of all interest levels. But the prospect of having one name and one face atop its most important division for the first time in the four-belt era is juicy enough. Now imagine a fight between two unbeaten champions and future Hall of Famers in Usyk and Fury. It sounds like a match made in heaven.

Only, Fury has done everything in his power this calendar year to avoid actually signing for the fight. And even though he came around in time to get said matchup on the books for December, the prospect of Fury facing Ngannou just two months before is a dangerous proposition given the possibility of cuts, which could delay the Usyk fight, or a more disastrous scenario of Ngannou pulling the upset. Entertaining a one-off against Ngannou for big money in Saudi Arabia is a great business move for Fury. Let's just hope he doesn't screw up the larger picture for the rest of the sport.

3. Ngannou's choice of Mike Tyson as head trainer is interesting

Whether or not this decision comes in light of Conor McGregor sticking with his MMA coaching staff to prepare him for his 2017 boxing superfight against Floyd Mayweather only to come up empty in a stoppage defeat, the choice of Tyson as lead trainer is peculiar. Tyson, 57, has no formal experience in this area beyond his wealth of in-ring time put in as a former two-time heavyweight champion. And Ngannou isn't the typical student considering he has never boxed professionally and there isn't enough time to change his stance and style by hammering down on fundamentals.

What Ngannou needs is unorthodox explosion, which is likely the area Tyson is focusing on. But what makes this choice of trainer so interesting, as it pertains to this exact matchup, is that Fury's father, John, named his son after Tyson when he was born in 1988, during Tyson's initial run as heavyweight champion. Fury was born premature and weighed only one pound, with doctors predicting he wouldn't survive. According to family legend, John Fury told the doctors that his son would grow up to be heavyweight champion. To add even more weirdness to the situation, John Fury has been respectfully challenging Tyson to a bareknuckle fight for years.

4. Ngannou legitimately believes he can win

Given the constant headlines over the past year involving Ngannou, MMA fighter pay and the erosion of his relationship with UFC president Dana White, it would be easy to justify Ngannou's relentless pursuit of the Fury fight as simply a money grab. But to know Ngannou's story makes it difficult to categorize it as such. Ngannou's life story, which will one day make an incredibly inspirational feature film, has seen him overcome the odds at just about every single turn. From being jailed for two months in a Spanish prison on his journey from Cameroon to France to defending his UFC title on one leg against Cyril Gane merely to fight out his MMA contract and secure true free agency, Ngannou has regularly placed principles above selfish financial gain. In fact, the major crux of his fallout with UFC surrounded his want to change athlete treatment for all fighters and break free from the Draconian contracts that still exist within UFC.

Ngannou is pursuing Fury this aggressively because he actually believes he will win and is looking to cross off one of the most important boxes on his life bucket list. And even though the betting odds rightfully portray how unlikely it is that an upset takes place, the prospect of Ngannou landing one perfect punch against his quicker and longer 6-foot-9 opponent might be more far fetched of an idea than Ngannou ever winning a UFC title to begin with. Almost every aspect of his public adult life has been a difficult obstacle yet Ngannou has conquered each challenge he has faced along the way. Yes, this technically represents Ngannou's first pro boxing match and it just happens to be against the greatest heavyweight of this century. But it's also just that -- a boxing match -- for a man who has overcome so much to get to where he is today.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...f9ae6a4e&ei=52

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...5110.jpg?w=960

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Originally Posted by Master

It's difficult to know what to expect ahead of Saturday's heavyweight spectacle in Saudi Arabia as former UFC star Francis Ngannou makes his professional boxing debut against WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury.


https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...f9ae6a4e&ei=52

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It’s not difficult to know what to expect. Expect a CIRCUS SHIT SHOW! Pathetic and I’m getting angrier by the minute as it approaches.
John Fury. - What the fuck is that about?

would francis beating tyson be a bigger upset than buster v tyson?

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Originally Posted by Primo Carnera

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Master

It's difficult to know what to expect ahead of Saturday's heavyweight spectacle in Saudi Arabia as former UFC star Francis Ngannou makes his professional boxing debut against WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury.


https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...f9ae6a4e&ei=52

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It’s not difficult to know what to expect. Expect a CIRCUS SHIT SHOW! Pathetic and I’m getting angrier by the minute as it approaches.
John Fury. - What the fuck is that about?

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i wonder if some of these boxing stars attending are being paid to be there

Has everyone completed their PPV blowouts as expected yet ;D. Just want it over tbh. A third of my timelines are convinced Ngannou hits harder than Wilder and Mike and he has yet to throw a single punch as a professional. Or take one for that matter.

Ohh boxing you can be such a dirty little tramp :fking: :-X

I think the intention is to announce the Fury v Usyk fight after this event.

This should be entertaining with the bad blood happening between Wardley v Adeleye.

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Originally Posted by Master

I think the intention is to announce the Fury v Usyk fight after this event.

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Makes ya yearn for the days when they used HBO and Showtime for that...after having a "free" competitive fight with a top challenger. In wrestling terms, they call this a work ;)

Wardley controlling the pace, centre and Adeleye at the moment.

Wardley dominating the fight and landing solid bodyshots against Adeleye.