Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Boxing Fight Announced for Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia
July 11, 2023
A highly anticipated heavyweight showdown is set to go down this fall.
According to a release issued Tuesday, a boxing match between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has been scheduled for Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fight will take place "in a regulation boxing ring under the standard boxing rules."
Ariel Helwani @arielhelwaniTyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou will take place "under the official rules of professional boxing, with 3 judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system. Both fighters however are promising to meet in the middle of the ring, go to war and win by knockout in devastating fashion,"… <a href="https://t.co/VJkIiZJvZb">pic.twitter.com/VJkIiZJvZb</a>
ESPN's Mike Coppinger first reported the fight had been agreed to. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani initially reported on Friday that a fight between Fury and Ngannou was "expected to be announced very soon."
It sounds like Ngannou and his camp are excited about getting the fight agreement done:
After his contract with UFC came to an end earlier this year, Ngannou signed a lucrative deal with the PFL in May that allowed him to also pursue boxing fights. He said during an interview with The DAZN MMA Show that "if it was up to him" his next fight would be a boxing match against Fury or Deontay Wilder.
Ngannou hasn't fought since January 2022 when he retained his heavyweight title with a unanimous-decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He underwent knee surgery following that fight and his UFC contract expired this January.
Upon his departure from the UFC, Ngannou was called out by Fury for a fight that would feature a mixed ruleset between boxing and MMA. The two of them have been circling each other for months, and now they will finally get to settle their differences. While the details of their fight deals have not been revealed, it can be expected that they both will receive a significant paycheck.
"We've had a lot of offers from the Middle East at the moment to host that fight over the summer," Fury recently said on the Out of Interest podcast (h/t Anton Tabuena of Bloody Elbow). "[The purse is] private information, but let's say it's 10, 20, 30, f--king 50 times the amount [UFC fighters make]."
A fight between Fury and Ngannou is sure to draw a ton of interest and excitement from fight fans. Ngannou is known for his devastating knockouts in MMA, while Fury is arguably the most skilled heavyweight boxer because of his elusiveness and accuracy. It will be interesting to see how things play out when they meet in the ring.