I provide the exact same warning every time a “fight” like Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou is booked.
When we learned Floyd Mayweather would face Conor McGregor back in 2017, I wrote that there was nothing wrong with buying into the mismatch as long as you understood what it was. If you found value in it, forking over the exorbitant pay-per-view fee made sense.
Fury vs. Ngannou is the same thing: an elite boxer vs. an MMA fighter with no formal boxing experience and almost no chance of winning. If you want to see it anyway, God bless you.
Of course, as a boxing fan, I’m disappointed that the 34-year-old Fury went this direction. He should be fighting Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua or another top big man, not a novice who will be 37 when they meet on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Fury is the best heavyweight in the world and in his prime. He should be building his boxing legacy, not taking part in sideshows.
I’ll tune in when the time comes, and it will be mildly interesting to see how quickly and in what manner Fury will knock out an opponent who really isn’t qualified to fight him beyond his striking experience in MMA, which will not have prepared him for what he’ll encounter in the ring.
Indeed, from a competitive standpoint, this matchup couldn’t be much worse. However, from a business standpoint, it’s brilliant.
First, let’s make something clear: This promotion is going to be successful given Fury’s popularity in his world, Ngannou’s following in his and the curiosity factor of a crossover fight. Who doesn’t take a peek at a car crash when driving by one?
As a result, Ngannou will make more money than he ever made in the UFC, although no figures have been reported. He essentially won the lottery. And Fury will enjoy another windfall with next to no risk, which is the best possible investment. I don’t like the matchup as a sports event but, as a capitalist, I understand and appreciate the decision to make this fight.
And remember: Fury isn’t the first boxer to pull such a stunt.
I already mentioned Mayweather, who closed out his career with a 10th-round knockout of an overmatched McGregor. The event was a huge success, generating a reported 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in the U.S. and around $600 million in revenue.
Another example is Muhammad Ali, who famously faced Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976, five years before his final sanctioned boxing match. And George Foreman defeated five boxers on the same night in 1975, a bizarre but intriguing spectacle.
So Fury isn’t breaking new ground. He’s simply making a living while he continues difficult talks with fellow titleholder Usyk and countryman Joshua, both of whom will probably face Fury before all is said and done.
Fury has yet to fight this year. We can all understand his desire to stay busy and provide for his family. Yes, he could also make good money against a fringe contender or even a journeyman, but not the kind of payday he’ll command against Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, which has a lot of money to spend. That’s why he’s doing this in lieu of a big, genuine fight.
This brings us back to my initial thought.
Once again, Fury vs. Ngannou isn’t a competitive matchup. It’s a gimmicky, glorified sparring session between big men who normally take part in different sports. If you find value in that and still want to buy the pay-per-view, enjoy it. If you believe that this is a serious sporting event, wake up!
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.
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