Fury Will Box Ngannou On October 28th, No Exhibition As Frank Warren And Bob Arum React
Tyson Fury will box Francis Ngannou on October 28th, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The crossover fight will see the current WBC heavyweight champion face the former UFC heavyweight champion in a 10-round fight.
Bob Arum has labeled it as an ‘historic’ fight, while Frank Warren remains unsure whether it will appear on Fury’s boxing record, despite stating that it was not an exhibition.
Tyson Fury 🆚 Francis Ngannou is set for October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 🥊
Time to find out who the baddest man on the planet is 🔥 #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/l3tOkEige8
— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) July 11, 2023
The news, however, pushes back any chance of an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk. And to make matters more controversial, Fury’s WBC belt will not be on the line.
The WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed as much on the basis that there was no official mandatory in place.
“Tyson Fury received special permission from the WBC to fight Francis Ngannou as there is no official challenger,” Mauricio Suilaman
Much in the same way, Warren defended the bout amid criticism that Fury had avoided the biggest names.
Warren highlighted how the mandatory situation left little choice as Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. continue to stall over negotiations for a WBC title eliminator clash.
Meanwhile, fights with Usyk and Anthony Joshua couldn’t get over the line.
Frank Warren on why Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou is happening: “Why did we make the fight? Because we tried to make the fight with Oleksandr Usyk, we tried to make the fight with Anthony Joshua, and neither of them wanted to know.” [@talkSPORT]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 11, 2023
“Let me tell you, why did we make the fight? Because we tried to make the fight with Usyk, we tried to make the fight with Joshua and neither of them wanted to know. Who else is out there? First of all, this whole division was stagnant, stagnant. Everybody was waiting for a big show in December,” Warren
Nevertheless, Ngannou will have the opportunity to box for the very first time. The former UFC heavyweight champion’s recent PFL deal includes an opportunity to box in 2023, and by facing the WBC heavyweight champion, there could not be a bigger name.
Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, and the fighter himself, is ready.
Never doubt a man with hope and faith.#FuryNgannou | 10.28.2023 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/44pfCQgGgq
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) July 11, 2023
“It’s all been a blessing. Hollywood couldn’t write a better script. Moral of the story: Don’t bet against Francis,” Martin
“I’ve been waiting to meet Tyson in the ring for the past three years. 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