Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou battle it out on Saturday, October 28 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. British WBC and lineal heavyweight champion and former UFC heavyweight of Cameroon square off in a boxing match, scheduled for 10 rounds. Ahead of their long-awaited showdown, the fighters hosted the final press conference, previewed their bout and went face to face.
Undefeated Tyson Fury (boxing 33-0-1, 24 KOs) of Manchester, England said he was going for a knockout and had no doubt of it. Ngannou (MMA 17-3) of Batie, Cameroon said “The Gypsy King” was “the best in boxing” but that would change.
Also in attendance at the press conference were other fighters featured on the card, as well as Tyson Fury’s father John Fury, trainer SugarHill Steward, former kickboxer Dewey Cooper and boxing great Mike Tyson.
Fury vs Ngannou airs live on ESPN+ PPV in the United States, TNT Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in Australia and other selected countries.
‘There’s only one Gypsy King’
“It’s absolutely unbelievable to be out here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To be top of the bill, the main event, is even more special. We’ve all got a lot to be thankful for. We’ve all come a long way to be here. This has all happened in a short space of time. And to see it all unfold is really amazing.”
“Francis Ngannou is a big man. I see he’s taken a bit of advice from me with the clothes he’s wearing. He’s looking a bit snazzy. They say the finest form of flattery is imitation. And he’s got his suit on with no shirt on, and I started that! So, he’s imitating. But, there’s one thing I say, and it’s that many will imitate, but no one will ever replicate. Because there’s only one Gypsy King.”
“How do I prepare for a guy like this? It’s pretty difficult, but in America, we say a statement like this, ‘I’m gonna knock a motherf***er out!’ And that’s how we do it. I’ve been working with SugarHill [Steward] to knock him out cold on Saturday night, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will knock him out.”
“He’s a big, strong guy. Obviously, he’s got a good punch. But so am I. I’m a big, strong guy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be the world heavyweight champion. But I believe there’s levels to the game. And he’s going to find out my level on Saturday night.”
‘Tyson Fury is definitely the best in boxing, but that’s stopping on Saturday night’
“This is a dream come true. And I remember four years ago, when I first met Mike Tyson, my only request was for him to be in my corner if I fight Tyson Fury. People thought I was losing it. They thought I was crazy. They thought it would never happen. But here we are. The fight is happening. So, I’m living a dream. This has always been my dream. It wasn’t easy, but we are here.”
“I want to thank Tyson Fury for taking the fight and taking this risk because there is a lot of risk here for him. He might go to sleep on Saturday night. But I appreciate his courage, and I thank him.”
“This camp has been different from my past camps. It’s a different experience, a different beast. I was aware that there was a mountain in front of me, so that’s why we started the camp a lot earlier. And it went well, but having somebody like Mike Tyson around and my coach Dewey Cooper was very helpful in terms of approaching this fight.”
“We got Mike Tyson in, and the first thing he said that stuck in my mind is when he said, ‘Listen, he has two hands and two feet like you.’ And I got that. And that’s enough for Saturday night. Tyson Fury is definitely the best in boxing, but that’s stopping on Saturday night.”
The Fury vs Ngannou clash headlines an all-heavyweight card. The 12-round co-main event features Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) up against David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs) in an all-British bout. Also on the card a 10-round bout between New Zealand’s former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) and Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) of Canada.
In addition, Canada-based Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) and American Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs) go head to head in a 10-round bout. Plus, Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) of UK and Istvan Bernath (10-1, 8 KOs) of Hungary meet in a six-round bout.
In Australia, the fight airs on Sunday, October 29 live on pay-per-view on DAZN and Kayo.
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