RIYADH: Tyson Fury looks is to face mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou in Riyadh on Oct. 28, in a match which is set to set both the boxing and mixed martial arts worlds on fire.
The fight between the WBC champion and the former champion of the UFC will take place under the official rules of boxing and not, as has been suggested in certain quarters, as a non-competitive exhibition bout, sources close to the organisers tell Arab News.
Ngannou, the biggest recorded puncher in the world, “will be attempting to become the first man to inflict a stoppage on the undefeated Gypsy King,” sources added.
The upcoming clash is expected to generate headlined and many fans are already eagerly awaiting. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC as heavyweight champion with the intention of fulfilling his ambition to return to his first sporting love: boxing.
He was an athlete known for being in great demand across promotional entities, and was linked with heavyweight encounters with both Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
Despite his preference for a war with Fury, Ngannou was presented with promotional options, not least from Joshua’s backers in Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Boxing, who made public his interest in adding the man who originally hails from Cameroon to his stable of fighters for his introduction to boxing in an early 2023 interview with Fight Hub TV.
“I’ve spoken to Francis Ngannou and others, and they are all big names in the fight world,” revealed Hearn. “You can’t sign everybody, but obviously we want to put together the strongest stable we can.
“We want to deliver the biggest names and best fights for DAZN and certainly Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Edgar Berlanga and Terence Crawford would be fantastic additions for us. We will see what plays out.”
Hearn added that a fight with former unified heavyweight champion Joshua would have been firmly on the horizon had he secured the signature of the 36-year-old MMA king.
“I’ve spoken to Francis Ngannou about it, and we could make that fight in the summer. It would be a massive event, but we will see.
“I like Francis, I think he is a great man and I think he is in a great position.”
Ngannou, indeed, is in a great position and heading into what will be a spectacular mega-event in Saudi Arabia against the No.1 star in heavyweight boxing.
