Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou have their boxing fight date made official for Saturday, October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The contest pits British WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion against former UFC heavyweight champion of Cameroon.
The bout is held following the opening ceremony of Riyadh Season. The broadcast information is yet to be confirmed.
“The clash to find out who is the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ will take place under the official rules of professional boxing, with 3 judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system,” as per announcement sent out by Top Rank. “Both fighters however are promising to meet in the middle of the ring, go to war and win by knockout in devastating fashion.”
Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou
Undefeated Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) was in action in December 2022 when he stopped Derek Chisora in the tenth round of their third fight and retained his WBC heavyweight belt. In April the same year, Manchester’s 34-year-old eliminated Dillian Whyte in Round 6, after securing a pair of back to back wins via stoppage against his old rival and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Follow his win against Whyte, in his next fight “The Gypsy King” was expected to square off against the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title. To date the fight didn’t materialized, and the latter is now scheduled to face Daniel Dubois on August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
“As soon as that bell goes, it’ll be bombs away,” Tyson Fury said. “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 Whyte fight, but there is no one tougher than me, and you’ll all see that in devastating fashion on October 28.”
“I’d like to thank my promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum, my manager Spencer Brown and the guys at Riyadh Season for making this incredible event possible. It’s going to be a fight for the ages. Get up!”
Francis Ngannou (17-3) last fought in January 2022 when he defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision and successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title. The 36-year-old native of Batie, Cameroon clamed the belt by knockout in the second round against former champion Stipe Miocic in March 2021.
After “The Predator” parted ways with the UFC, in May he signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and is expected to compete in its “super fight” division on the PPV card in future.
“I’ve been waiting to meet Tyson in the ring for the past three years,” Francis Ngannou said. “My dream was always to box, and to box the best.”
“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.”
“I’d like to thank Riyadh Season and my team at 3Point0 Labs for helping put this event together. All I will say to Tyson for now is he better dance in that ring because if I touch him, he’s going to sleep.”
In Australia, Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou airs live on October 29.
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