Fury vs Ngannou LIVE ON: 28 October 2023
WHO IS FIGHTING?
Tyson ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury (33-0-1) is boxing against MMA heavyweight, and professional boxing novice, Francis Ngannou (0-0).
Tyson Fury last competed when he defended his WBC Heavyweight championship against foe turned friend Derek Chisora on 03 December 2022 at Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Since then, there have been numerous public attempts from Fury to procure opponents to fight. He has attempted to agree an undisputed bout against Unified Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but multiple attempts have failed to result in a fight the public want to see.
Fury’s next foe, Anthony Joshua, has been offered a bout on two different occasions in the past year, albeit both came with time constraints and other obstacles so that fight never seemed a genuine prospect for 2023. Andy Ruiz was briefly discussed until an apparent $20 million demand ruled him out. Zhilei Zhang was considered, but Joe Joyce has an ironclad rematch in place to face him.
Tyson Fury has agreed to face Oleksandr Usyk during the Riyadh Season, but the date for the undisputed bout is currently unconfirmed.
Francis Ngannou has never boxed professionally. He last competed in mixed-martial-arts (MMA) for the UFC in January 2022, emerging victorious with the UFC heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane. Following protracted negotiations with the UFC where Francis requested several unique elements to his contract, he vacated the belt and was released from the UFC. MMA legend Jon Jones has since returned to capture the vacant belt.
Francis has now signed a deal with the PFL, Professional Fighters League, an MMA organisation being broadcast on DAZN. His deal allowed him to consider other outside ventures such as boxing, and he is being allowed to box before competing in MMA on behalf of PFL.
WHERE IS FURY VS NGANNOU BEING HELD?
The event is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event takes place on 28 October 2023 to open Riyadh Season.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE BUILD-UP TO FURY VS NGANNOU?
Fury and Ngannou have exchanged a few public Instagram messages, but there’s very little friction between the pair.
Wardley and Adeleye had a scuffle at the press conference to announce the bout, which you can read more on here
Francis Ngannou has announced he has teamed with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson as part of his training, which is a good choice if he can come close to imitating Tyson’s power at close range.
Frank Warren, the promoter of Queensbury Promotions who promotes Tyson Fury in the UK, has had to quell the frustration among boxing fans that Fury is fighting an unranked opponent.
WHO IS THE FAVOURITE FOR FURY VS NGANNOU?
Tyson Fury is considered the favourite by almost everyone interested in boxing. In the heavyweight division especially, every fighter has a puncher’s chance, but Ngannou has to fight Fury to win, rather than box.
The odds for Tyson Fury vs Ngannou sees the WBC champion priced at 1/10, and Ngannou at 6/1.
The odds for Fabio Wardley vs David Adeleye favours Wardley at 1/4, and Adeleye at 3/1 per Paddy Power.
WHO ELSE IS FIGHTING ON THE UNDERCARD OF FURY VS NGANNOU?
Fabio Wardley vs David Adeleye
Joseph Parker vs Simon Kean
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Junior Wright
Moses Itauma vs Istvan Bernath
Carlos Takam vs Martin Bakole.
Jack McGann vs Roberto Duran Jr.
Agron Smakici was originally announced as the opponent for Makhmudov. He only had two losses on his record, to Zhan Kossobutskiy and Agit Kabayel, both world ranked heavyweights. Junior Wright (20-4-1) seems on paper to be a much easier task.
ANY HIGHLIGHTS ON THE UNDERCARD OF FURY VS NGANNOU?
During the press conference and media day on 07 September 2023, David Adeleye shoved Fabio Wardley whilst he was doing an interview with Seconds Out. A member of Adeleye’s team then struck Wardley, resulting in a cut. Wardley briefly dropped to the floor as he was simultaneously tripped and struck, which caused further damage. A photo of the damage to Wardley is included below:
We currently have an all heavyweight undercard. I’d expect Takam vs Bakole to be a dark horse for fight of the night. Takam destroyed Tony Yoka in Paris during his last bout, and represents the perfect test for Bakole at this stage. Makmudov is ranked at WBC number 3, and another win would bring him closer to a hopeful bout against Tyson Fury. If Wilder vs Joshua isn’t made, then Makmudov would in theory be the next in line.
WHEN DOES THE EVENT START?
The event begins at 6:00 p.m in the UK, with the first hour free to view. The main show begins at 7:00 p.m in the UK. Time is CST+1.
HOW CAN I WATCH FURY VS NGANNOU?
The broadcaster for the event is TNT Sports. The fight will be PPV, and will be broadcast via TNT Sports Box Office. The price for the event in the UK is £21.95, or $79.99 in USA. You can read more on the pricing here
TNT Sports Box Office is a collection of TV channels that lets you buy and watch live pay-per-view events. All events will be advertised on the BT Sport website. Go to the TNT Sports Box Office website.
https://www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
RECOMMENDED CONTENT:
At Home with The Furys, a 9 part documentary style program, has been released on Netflix in the run up to the fight. The documentary shows Tyson Fury’s mental state more visibly than ever before, and is a must watch for fans keen to see into the mind of Fury.