After more than a year of speculation about a clash between two of the world’s best fighters, a bout between heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, has been set.
According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, the two heavyweights will fight in a boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 28. At this time, the rules and the number of rounds for the exhibition fight remain unclear.
Whispers about the fight between the two greats date back until April of 2022 after Fury defeated Dillian Whyte to retain his WBC heavyweight title. Following his victory, the 34-year-old Englishman called out Ngannou, saying he would fight the UFC icon in what would be a “however, he wants it: in a cage, in a boxing ring, in boxing gloves, UFC gloves, we can make it happen.”
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) went on to complete a trilogy fight against Derek Chisora last December, but has been without an opponent since.
Ngannou (20-3-3 MMA record) last fought in January 2022 against Cyril Gane at UFC 270, a bout he won by unanimous decision to hold onto his UFC heavyweight championship. The 36-year-old then parted ways with UFC this past January and signed a contract with PFL, a deal that allows him to branch off into boxing as well.
“My next step has to be boxing,” Ngannou 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 want to do a couple of fights in boxing. We are working on some stuff and hopefully in a month or two, I will be able to come out with an announcement on potential fight dates and locations.
“It’s taking a little longer than I expected but it’s coming along. Big things come with time.”
The wait for Ngannou paid off as he’s now set to take on Fury, one of world’s most prolific boxers, in a blockbuster fight later this year.
