Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background.
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is scheduled to face MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou on pay-per-view Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
TYSON FURY (30-0-1, 24 KOs)
VS. FRANCIS NGANNOU (0-0, 0 KOs)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
At stake: No major title
Odds: Fury 11-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Pound-for-pound: Fury No. 5
Also on the card: Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye, heavyweights; Joseph Parker vs. Simon Kean, heavyweights; Carlos Takam vs Martin Bakole, heavyweights; Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright, heavyweights
Prediction: Fury KO 6
Background: Fury is already committed to face fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship this winter but must deal with Ngannou first. The 37-year-old MMA star is making his boxing debut against the most accomplished big man in the world, meaning this matchup is nothing more than a glorified sparring session for Fury that will earn both men a lot of money. Fury last fought in December, when he stopped Derek Chisora in 10 rounds. The 35-year-old from Manchester, England, will have been out of the ring for almost 11 months. Ngannou last fought in UFC 270 in January of last year, 21 months ago. The native of Cameroon outpointed Ciryl Gane in that bout. Ngannou lives and trains in Las Vegas.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background.
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is scheduled to face MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou on pay-per-view Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
TYSON FURY (30-0-1, 24 KOs)
VS. FRANCIS NGANNOU (0-0, 0 KOs)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
At stake: No major title
Odds: Fury 11-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Pound-for-pound: Fury No. 5
Also on the card: Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye, heavyweights; Joseph Parker vs. Simon Kean, heavyweights; Carlos Takam vs Martin Bakole, heavyweights; Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright, heavyweights
Prediction: Fury KO 6
Background: Fury is already committed to face fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship this winter but must deal with Ngannou first. The 37-year-old MMA star is making his boxing debut against the most accomplished big man in the world, meaning this matchup is nothing more than a glorified sparring session for Fury that will earn both men a lot of money. Fury last fought in December, when he stopped Derek Chisora in 10 rounds. The 35-year-old from Manchester, England, will have been out of the ring for almost 11 months. Ngannou last fought in UFC 270 in January of last year, 21 months ago. The native of Cameroon outpointed Ciryl Gane in that bout. Ngannou lives and trains in Las Vegas.
Fury will meet former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in a 10-round boxing match Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although it’s a fully professional boxing match, Fury’s WBC heavyweight title won’t be on the line.
Ngannou boasts a chiseled body, whereas Fury has never carried too much muscle. But the undefeated boxer expects Ngannou’s muscle to negatively impact his cardio.
“He’s not going to last. His body is too good,” Fury said on “Sundae Conversation.” “I told you about these ripped bodies. … He’s got too many muscles, and he looks too good. When I felt him like this, and he was all hard as I was feeling him. He was hard, and I knew he’s not going to win because his body is too good.”
As for Fury, don’t expect him to hit the weight room to try and compete with Ngannou or any other built boxer’s physique.
“Nope, never,” Fury said. “That’s insulting isn’t it to say that? Get in shape. You know, a lot of these fighters, they want to be like bodybuilders and look ripped and that. I always rock the dad bod and, you know, the bald head, fat, white as anything, looked absolutely disgusting with my top off.
“And then when I knock out a good looking six-pack, it’s like, ‘What the f—, dude? What the f— just happened?’”
Fury will meet former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in a 10-round boxing match Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although it’s a fully professional boxing match, Fury’s WBC heavyweight title won’t be on the line.
Ngannou boasts a chiseled body, whereas Fury has never carried too much muscle. But the undefeated boxer expects Ngannou’s muscle to negatively impact his cardio.
“He’s not going to last. His body is too good,” Fury said on “Sundae Conversation.” “I told you about these ripped bodies. … He’s got too many muscles, and he looks too good. When I felt him like this, and he was all hard as I was feeling him. He was hard, and I knew he’s not going to win because his body is too good.”
As for Fury, don’t expect him to hit the weight room to try and compete with Ngannou or any other built boxer’s physique.
“Nope, never,” Fury said. “That’s insulting isn’t it to say that? Get in shape. You know, a lot of these fighters, they want to be like bodybuilders and look ripped and that. I always rock the dad bod and, you know, the bald head, fat, white as anything, looked absolutely disgusting with my top off.
“And then when I knock out a good looking six-pack, it’s like, ‘What the f—, dude? What the f— just happened?’”
Photos: Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou news conference in London.
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and MMA star Francis Ngannou faced off Thursday at Outernet London in London to promote their pay-per-view fight Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Here are images from the event. All photos by Getty Images.
Photos: Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou news conference in London.
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and MMA star Francis Ngannou faced off Thursday at Outernet London in London to promote their pay-per-view fight Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Here are images from the event. All photos by Getty Images.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: “This is a massive event around the world.”
Organizers wouldn’t dare try to sell the pay-per-view fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia as a good matchup on paper.
It clearly isn’t. Fury, a veteran of almost 15 years, is the best heavyweight in the world while Ngannou, a 37-year-old MMA star, will be making his boxing debut. It’s among the biggest mismatches in the history of heavyweight boxing.
The promoters were straightforward when they described at a news conference Thursday what this matchup is, however. Co-promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren used the exact same term: “This is a massive event.”
“This is a massive event around the world, but it’s particularly massive in the United States because MMA has become one of the most popular sports there and Francis Ngannou is a legend in that sport,” Arum said at the news conference.
“And Tyson has performed so admirably in the United States over the past few years that he is a massive figure in sports. The fact that they’re both coming together is something that is creating tremendous interest in the United States.”
Said Warren: This is the biggest event I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a crossover event. You’ve got a guy who is the best in his discipline. He is the heavyweight champion. And you’ve got the man, the lineal champion, Tyson Fury, who has done everything you can ask for in a fighter. …
“This is going to be something special.”
For his part, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) tried to build up his opponent.
The Englishman expressed respect for his Cameroonian opponent and pointed out potential pitfalls when the opening bell rings, making reference to what he expects to be an unusual style and Ngannou’s size. The native of Cameroon is 6-foot-4 and weighed 257 pounds for his last fight, against Ciryl Gane in January of last year. (Fury is 6-9, around 270.)
“He’s going to be a real challenge,” Fury said. “It’s something different for me. I’m used to boxing boxers and boxing the head off of somebody. But fighting an MMA guy who comes in with a different style is going to be different. …
“I will give Francis the respect that he deserves as a warrior, as a man and as a world champion. He’s a big man. He’s very strong and powerful. And it’s in my interest to give it the 100 percent training in camp and bring in the best sparring possible for me.”
Meanwhile, Ngannou said in so many words that he won the lottery.
He will make by far the biggest payday of his career, which made accepting this fight a no-brainer in spite of the long odds. And while he made his name in mixed martial arts, he has wanted to box for as long as he can remember.
“I am very excited. I am very happy,” he said. “I have been dreaming of becoming a boxer since I was a kid. And today, I’m not just going to box; I’m going to box the guy at the peak of the mountain. Usually, I would not pay attention to what is going around. But this thing is so big that I can’t stop thinking about it. History is going to be made. …
“Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen, but what I do know for sure is that I’m going to be out there hunting for that guy’s head to take it off. I can guarantee that.”
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: “This is a massive event around the world.”
Organizers wouldn’t dare try to sell the pay-per-view fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia as a good matchup on paper.
It clearly isn’t. Fury, a veteran of almost 15 years, is the best heavyweight in the world while Ngannou, a 37-year-old MMA star, will be making his boxing debut. It’s among the biggest mismatches in the history of heavyweight boxing.
The promoters were straightforward when they described at a news conference Thursday what this matchup is, however. Co-promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren used the exact same term: “This is a massive event.”
“This is a massive event around the world, but it’s particularly massive in the United States because MMA has become one of the most popular sports there and Francis Ngannou is a legend in that sport,” Arum said at the news conference.
“And Tyson has performed so admirably in the United States over the past few years that he is a massive figure in sports. The fact that they’re both coming together is something that is creating tremendous interest in the United States.”
Said Warren: This is the biggest event I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a crossover event. You’ve got a guy who is the best in his discipline. He is the heavyweight champion. And you’ve got the man, the lineal champion, Tyson Fury, who has done everything you can ask for in a fighter. …
“This is going to be something special.”
For his part, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) tried to build up his opponent.
The Englishman expressed respect for his Cameroonian opponent and pointed out potential pitfalls when the opening bell rings, making reference to what he expects to be an unusual style and Ngannou’s size. The native of Cameroon is 6-foot-4 and weighed 257 pounds for his last fight, against Ciryl Gane in January of last year. (Fury is 6-9, around 270.)
“He’s going to be a real challenge,” Fury said. “It’s something different for me. I’m used to boxing boxers and boxing the head off of somebody. But fighting an MMA guy who comes in with a different style is going to be different. …
“I will give Francis the respect that he deserves as a warrior, as a man and as a world champion. He’s a big man. He’s very strong and powerful. And it’s in my interest to give it the 100 percent training in camp and bring in the best sparring possible for me.”
Meanwhile, Ngannou said in so many words that he won the lottery.
He will make by far the biggest payday of his career, which made accepting this fight a no-brainer in spite of the long odds. And while he made his name in mixed martial arts, he has wanted to box for as long as he can remember.
“I am very excited. I am very happy,” he said. “I have been dreaming of becoming a boxer since I was a kid. And today, I’m not just going to box; I’m going to box the guy at the peak of the mountain. Usually, I would not pay attention to what is going around. But this thing is so big that I can’t stop thinking about it. History is going to be made. …
“Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen, but what I do know for sure is that I’m going to be out there hunting for that guy’s head to take it off. I can guarantee that.”
