Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou now set for October
Jan 22, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Francis Ngannou celebrates the win against Ciryl Gane during UFC 270 at Honda Center. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
By Ed Emeanua
Tyson Fury has not minced his words over his desire to get a piece of Francis Ngannou in a boxing ring showdown, and now he is about to get his wish as their in-ring boxing clash is set to for October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The encounter sets the stage for former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou to make his long-awaited boxing ring debut. It is not clear if the heavyweight tussle is over the Gypsy King’s world crown or if the fight is only a spectacle.
Fury versus Ngannou has been slow in making despite being a fight most MMA and boxing enthusiasts have salivated over.
“As soon as that bell goes, it will be bombs away. This guy is supposed to be the hardest puncher in the world, but let’s see how he reacts when he gets hit by the Big GK. I can’t wait to get back out there under the lights,” Fury said following the announcement of the fight.
Ngannou dropped his UFC world heavyweight belt earlier this year after w failing to to come to terms on renewing his contract with the UFC to become a free agent.
Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) President and CEO David Feldman also accused the former UFC heavyweight world champion of overpricing his market value as the brand courted him.
The Cameroonian then shocked the fight world when he moved over to the PFL this year where he is also free to box on the side along with his MMA contract.
Never doubt a man with hope and faith.#FuryNgannou | 10.28.2023 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/44pfCQgGgq
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) July 11, 2023
“My dream was always to box and to box the best. After becoming the undisputed MMA heavyweight champion, this is my opportunity to make that dream come true and cement my position as the baddest man on the planet,” Ngannou said.
In the protracted tussle to sign the 36-year-old free agent, British promoter Eddie Hearn also tried to entice Ngannou to his Matchroom Boxing label with a likely big money fight with former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
In the protracted tussle to sign the free agent with a professional mixed martial artist 17-3 record, Ngannou reportedly turned down an $8 million offer by UFC to stake his championship against former world UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones over the company’s failure to meet his demands.
Ngannou, while still the UFC world heavyweight champion also claimed in a series of tweets that he lost $1,000,000 because of sponsorship restrictions by the organization.
“Fighters are ripped off with sponsorship. It’s a huge source of revenue for us but the company keeps exploiting that for their own benefit,” Ngannou then tweeted.
Fighters are ripped off with Sponsorship. It’s a huge source of revenue for us but the company keeps exploiting that for their own benefit.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 17, 2022
I understand that the sport needs to look good with uniforms but we should at least have a right for a minimum of 2 approved sponsors for in the octagon.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 17, 2022
Last year I lost a deal of over a million dollars from a crypto exchange because the partnership with CRYPTO .COM
What do I got from it ? 🤔— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 17, 2022
“I understand the sport needs to look good with uniforms but we should at least have a right for a minimum of 2 approved sponsors in the octagon. Last year I lost a deal of over a million dollars from a crypto exchange because [of] the partnership with CRYPTO.COM. What do I got from it?”
