Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury agree to boxing match
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury have agreed to a boxing match, according to ESPN Boxing Insider Mike Coppinger. The fight will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28.
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou will fight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) July 11, 2023
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman didn't respond to a text message asking if Fury's heavyweight title will be on the line. The rules and number of rounds are unclear at this time. pic.twitter.com/shxhaqvjt8
The bout will be the next cross-sport bout between boxing and MMA champions. For the first time since Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor, each fighter is still competing at a high level. That only adds to the intrigue of the matchup.
Despite talk of a special rules bout, the fight will be held under professional boxing rules, will be scored on the 10-point must system, and a commission will oversee the action. At the moment, it is unclear if Fury’s WBC title will be on the line and if the bout will count on each fighter’s professional record.
The cross-sport battle will serve as Ngannou’s professional boxing debut. At this point, all of his professional combat sports experience comes from MMA, where he compiled a 17-3 professional record and a 12-2 UFC record. This culminated in a heavyweight title win against Stipe Miocic and a defense against Ciryl Gane.
Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC eventually soured as the two sides were unable to reach a contract extension which resulted in the promotion cutting its star heavyweight. It did not take long for Ngannou to find employment as he signed with the PFL, but a dive into boxing was the main goal after leaving the UFC. That risk paid off as he is now set to fight the biggest boxer on the planet.
Fury is boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion and WBC heavyweight champion. The heavyweight king has a staggering boxing record of 33-0-1. Fury has been flirting with various title challengers since defending the belt against Derek Chisora in December of 2022.
At the end of the day, an MMA fighter got the bout that every heavyweight boxer wanted.
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