Boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will fight Oct. 28 in Riyadh.
It was confirmed that the fight will take place in a boxing ring under boxing rules, including three ringside judges using the 10-point must.
It is unclear how many rounds will be fought, whether Fury’s WBC heavyweight title is on the line, and whether the fight will count towards their professional records.
In a statement, Fury said, “I can’t wait to show the world that The Gypsy King is the greatest fighter of his generation in an epic battle with another master.”
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In his statement, Ngannou said “My dream was always to box, and to box the best,” .After becoming the undisputed MMA Heavyweight Champion, Ngannou said: “This is my chance to fulfill my dream and cement my position as the baddest man on earth.”
Mauricio Sulaiman, WBC president, said Tuesday that Fury was given special permission to fight Ngannou since there is no official challenger. According to Sulaiman, Fury attempted to close fights with Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, and Oleksandr Usyk, but no agreements were reached.
After Fury’s sixth-round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte in London to retain his WBC heavyweight title, Ngannou teased a future meeting in April 2022.
As Fury said at that time, “Big Francis Ngannou is here today.” He is on my hit list for an exhibition fight, however he wants it: in a cage, in a boxing ring, boxing gloves, UFC gloves, we can make it happen. It will certainly be a clash of titans. He’s a monster of a guy and I’m a monster of a guy.”
A 10th-round stoppage win in December secured the top spot in ESPN’s heavyweight rankings for the 34-year-old Englishman.
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In March, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) was negotiating to face Usyk at London’s Wembley Stadium in April.
In a star-studded Middle Eastern event, ESPN’s No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer will face one of the most recognizable names in combat sports.
The last time Ngannou (20-3-3 MMA record) competed was at UFC 270 in January 2022, when he defended his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.
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Having failed to reach an extension with the UFC, Ngannou parted ways with the MMA organization in January. After fleeing Cameroon for France at age 26, he set out to fulfill a lifelong dream by making his boxing debut.
In March, Ngannou underwent surgery to repair his MCL and ACL. Two months later, he signed a deal with the PFL, which allowed him to box.
The next step for Ngannou is to box, he told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in March. “I want to do one boxing match first, and then maybe go back to MMA, because I still enjoy MMA. I’m interested in boxing. I am currently working on some stuff, and hopefully I can let you know about possible fight dates and locations in a month or two.
“It’s taking a little longer than I expected, but it’s coming along. Big things take time.”
