BoxRec

Sources: Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou fight set for Oct. 28

Tyson Fury, boxing's lineal heavyweight champion, and Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, will fight Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman didn't respond to a text message asking whether Fury's WBC heavyweight title will be on the line. The rules and number of rounds for the contest were unclear at this time.

Fury and Ngannou teased a future meeting in April 2022, sharing the ring after Fury's sixth-round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte in London to retain his WBC heavyweight title.

"Big Francis Ngannou is here today," Fury said at the time. "He's on my hit list in an exhibition fight, however he wants it: in a cage, in a boxing ring, boxing gloves, UFC gloves, we can make it happen. I think everyone wants to see it. He's a monster of a guy, I'm a monster of a guy, so it will be a clash of the titans for sure."

The 34-year-old Englishman returned for a trilogy battle with Derek Chisora in December, a 10th-round stoppage win to retain the top spot in ESPN's heavyweight rankings.

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) was in talks to meet Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship in April at London's Wembley Stadium, but negotiations collapsed in March.

Now, ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer will meet one of the most recognizable names in combat sports in a star-studded event in the Middle East.

Ngannou (20-3-3 MMA record) last competed in January 2022, when he retained his UFC heavyweight championship with a unanimous-decision victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. That turned out to be Ngannou's final bout in the Octagon.

After he couldn't reach terms on a contract extension with the UFC, Ngannou parted ways with the MMA organization in January. Now, he's set to make his boxing debut, realizing a lifelong dream he set out to accomplish when he fled Cameroon for France at age 26.

Ngannou, 36, underwent surgery in March to repair his MCL and ACL. Two months later, he signed a deal with the PFL that allowed him to box as well.

"My next step has to be boxing," Ngannou told ESPN's Brett Okamoto in March. "I want to do one boxing match first, and then maybe go back to MMA because I still enjoy MMA. I want to do a couple of fights in boxing. We are working on some stuff, and hopefully in a month or two I will be able to come out with an announcement on potential fight dates and locations.

"It's taking a little longer than I expected, but it's coming along. Big things come with time."

That wee cancerous rodent Sulaiman will have his band of merry men working on a new belt as we speak

Surely he won't let Fury defend his title eh??

Either way he'll make money off this

Big dosser

BigDoofus wrote: ↑10 Jul 2023, 16:12

stevec@france wrote: ↑10 Jul 2023, 12:49 I am in agreement with Krassyk on this .
Fury just letting everyone down including those who worship the man no matter what .
If he tries to fight Ngannou its got to be game over .

Another poster yesterday claimed he will never box again. The knitting circle are getting some new DOOMSDAY members.

LOL

I couldnt care a jot if TF doesnt want to box - just relinquish the belt and allow the traffic jam to clear in the HW division .

quickeyg wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 09:47 Looking forward to July 29th and August 12th


but also the HATERS crying for the next few months because Tyson Fury ICED Joshua (made him snap) in yesterdays interviews - made Usyk aka Gollum cry like a little bi*ch. Triggered Frotch, Bellew, Nelson, Eddie, teaboy Smith, Fearon & more.

Does it hurt, does it hurt??

1 last thing - Simon Jordan DESTROYED Joshua on Talksport today

you are the new boxtune ! or even the old one

Wonder how Frank and Tyson were able to find a date with the Saudis all of a sudden when Usyk wasn't the opponent?? I thought he said they had no dates and that was the sticking point


An abomination but goes without saying I'm Team Ngannou, the lineage awaits

What a fuckin disgrace. I think i despise Fury now more than any other fighter.

Absolute snake oil salesman.

"I took time off to sort out my mental health"
No, you got caught cheating.

"I'm giving my full purse to the homeless"
Liar.

Can we have another voting option for " Couldnt care less who wins "

Big steaming pile of shite

If it's PPV and does well at the box office we're finished.

Ezzard wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:13 If it's PPV and does well at the box office we're finished.

It will. Worldwide, it will be a smash. BT is the home of UFC fans here already.

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:21

Ezzard wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:13 If it's PPV and does well at the box office we're finished.

It will. Worldwide, it will be a smash. BT is the home of UFC fans here already.

It will obviously do big numbers on PPV compared to what’s happened in recent years but I can’t see it doing mega numbers (like some of AJ’s biggest or Mayweather/McGregor).

Ngannou isn’t the same level of star that McGregor was and I think people are less interested in these kind of hybrid fights.

Who knows though. I’ve just had some messages from mates about this fight. All of them hate it. Wouldn’t surprise me if they end up paying for it though.

Can honestly say , i will not even stream it , No way would i get up early on a sunday to watch this , and if i do happen to be up , i'll jump on my bike and go for my early morning sunday ride . Boxings really only becoming a joke because people pay for this rubbish , and theres not one other thing you can call it ,, just support your local ameteur clubs instead , go watch some 15 year old kids put there balls on the line for you ,

stevec@france wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:03 Can we have another voting option for " Couldnt care less who wins "

I do care though, if Ngannu somehow sparked the fat cokehead I'd be over the moon.

What a great big spineless worm Fury is

Pure yellow.

Sadly his bootlickers and fanboys will lap this up as a great fight. Strip him of his belt

Ricky wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:36

stevec@france wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:03 Can we have another voting option for " Couldnt care less who wins "

I do care though, if Ngannu somehow sparked the fat cokehead I'd be over the moon.

Oh man that would be fcuking glorious

You can’t of feel this won’t exactly be VADA tested or any serious testing. Ngannou probably has a hypo stuck in his butt as we speak! Not that it will help him much.

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:21

Ezzard wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:13 If it's PPV and does well at the box office we're finished.

It will. Worldwide, it will be a smash. BT is the home of UFC fans here already.

I have absolutely no idea how UFC PPV numbers do, so accept I could be very wrong.

Mayweather was a PPV star when he had his contest with McGregor - who was at that time the poster boy of the UFC; that fight couldn't help do the big numbers.
But Fury hasn't established himself anywhere near Mayweather or Canelo for selling PPVs .. and Ngannou did even appears unable to sell PPVs in the UFC .. the numbers suggests only McGregor was able to do that.

I think this will bomb for PPV.

Tyson following Tommy down the celebrity path

How long before he fights Philip Schofield ?

The WBC are the spineless ones here, they should strip him of his title immediately

tonyevs wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:47

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:21

Ezzard wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 11:13 If it's PPV and does well at the box office we're finished.

It will. Worldwide, it will be a smash. BT is the home of UFC fans here already.

I have absolutely no idea how UFC PPV numbers do, so accept I could be very wrong.

Mayweather was a PPV star when he had his contest with McGregor - who was at that time the poster boy of the UFC; that fight couldn't help do the big numbers.
But Fury hasn't established himself anywhere near Mayweather or Canelo for selling PPVs .. and Ngannou did even appears unable to sell PPVs in the UFC .. the numbers suggests only McGregor was able to do that.

I think this will bomb for PPV.

These are rough numbers but UFC buys are probably on average about 400k-500k these days with the huge fights being between 800k-1.2m. Ngannou's numbers are probably 600k-800k if he has a big opponent.

Also worth noting that UK fans don't usually have to pay for UFC PPV unless it's UK based (I think).

handsofstone wrote: ↑Sulaiman will have his band of merry men working on a new belt as we speak

Surely he won't let Fury defend his title eh??

Either way he'll make money off this

3 good points!!!

With the fight being the end of Oct that will mean Fury will not fight professionally in 2023.

Another point is surely the BBBofC do not approve or will they remain silent counting their approval/sanctioning fee.

Is this guy a pro boxer? Has he had any pro boxing fights?

MasterG wrote: ↑11 Jul 2023, 12:19 Is this guy a pro boxer? Has he had any pro boxing fights?

Nope.

Cash is king. A trade off: free money for Team Fury but also a big hit to credibility.

Fury vs Jones to probably follow..in amongst the 20,000 names he called out the softest are Chisora, Ngannou and Jones. So, two down, one to go.