- A boxing match between Tyson Fury and Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has officially been announced for October 28. Fury is a significant favorite to win over the former UFC star.
- The bout is Ngannou’s first fight since being released from the UFC due to a contract dispute in January 2023.
- The fight is being scheduled with three judges ringside under the 10-point scoring system.
Francis Ngannou has officially found a new job. After being released and forced to vacate the UFC heavyweight title, Ngannou will enter the ring for a boxing match against the 33-0-1 Tyson Fury. Oddsmakers at Bovada are not giving him much of a chance, as Fury is the clear favorite with -800 odds to win.
Ngannou, at +475 odds, is well-known among MMA fans as one of the best heavyweights in the world. In fact, he likely would still be walking around with the UFC heavyweight belt if Dana White didn’t strip him of the title.
In January, White decided to release Ngannou from his contract with the UFC. The UFC and Ngannou were involved in bitter negotiations for the greater part of the last two years. After failing to agree to terms, Ngannou was released and had to vacate the title.
This is how we have arrived at Jon Jones holding the UFC heavyweight title. Jones cruised past Ciryl Gane with a Round 1 submission to make easy work in his heavyweight debut and take Ngannou’s old belt.
Are you ready @francis_ngannou!? #BADDESTMANONTHEPLANET #RIYADHSEASON pic.twitter.com/D0B3IxFkR7
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) July 11, 2023
Knockdowns Could Be Disallowed
One of the rules, that has yet to be confirmed and only mentioned by Eddie Hearn, that is being discussed for this bout is a ‘no knockdown’ rule. In other words, Fury and Ngannou will not be allowed to commit to knocking one another out in an exhibition match.
If the ‘no-knockdown’ rule is implemented, points will not be awarded for any knockdowns. And, if the referee feels like either boxer is getting too aggressive with KO attempts, they can be issued a warning.
The reason for a ‘no knockdown’ rule is to attempt to keep things competitive in a crossover boxing match. However, the non-boxer might be the one in this instance that doesn’t benefit from the rule. Ngannou’s best weapon is his powerful fist. He has left some pretty tough fighters laying on the mat out cold.
Francis Ngannou with the second-round KO of Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight title! 🏆
(via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/v9ddNFoky7
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 28, 2021
The ‘no knockdown’ rule would remove the best tool in Ngannou’s arsenal. Hopefully, for the sake of us fans, this is simply a rumor and we do get a traditional boxing match.
Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. had a similar ‘no knockdown’ rule for their exhibition bout in 2020. Both fighters, notably Tyson, were pulling their punches and holding back. It was neat to see Tyson and Jones Jr. in the ring again, but the action inside the ring was not exciting.
Fury Plans On Going For KO
Regardless of the ‘no knockdown’ rule, Fury is already selling the fight as a slugfest. Upon the fight being announced, Fury had this to say:
“As soon as that bell goes, it’ll 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.”
According to these comments, Fury is not planning on a sparring match in Saudi Arabia. He is not preparing for a ‘no-knockdown’ fight with those words.
Fury stands at 6’9” and roughly 275 pounds. Meanwhile, Ngannou is listed at 6’4” and 250 pounds. Do we really expect these two fighters to hold back and not look to go for the kill shot?
Regardless of the rules, Fury should have the upper hand on Ngannou in a boxing match. Fury’s has an implied probability of winning at 88.9%.
Ngannou has been waiting years to step in the ring with Fury 🍿
(h/t @Tyson_Fury @francis_ngannou) pic.twitter.com/DrbsOd0poA
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 11, 2023
Should Fury Be Forced To Vacate WBC Heavyweight Title?
True boxing fans are not going to be happy with this fight between Fury and Ngannou. Why not challenge a real boxer to defend the WBC heavyweight title instead of a cash grab versus an MMA fighter?
Of course, money is the easy and obvious answer. Fury and Ngannou will be getting paid handsomely to fly to Saudi Arabia for a fight that doesn’t count toward their records. However, should Fury be allowed to hold the heavyweight division back while he accepts a gimmick fight?
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk would like an opportunity to fight for the WBC heavyweight title against Fury. Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, laid into Fury over Brit for this bout against Ngannou.
Klimas slammed Fury and called him the “biggest joke in boxing”. Klimas continued, “I am sorry it’s not boxing, it’s circus. Tyson Fury becoming from positive person in boxing to negative joker in circus. The biggest joke on the planet for sure.”
Rather than fight Fury, Usyk is preparing to defend his WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois on August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
This isn’t the first time that someone from Usyk’s camp has voiced their displeasure with Fury. In March, Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, accused Fury of “pretending to train”. Instead of preparing for a fight, Usyk’s team claimed that Fury was ducking the Ukrainian.
If Ngannou beats Fury, it will certainly disrupt the entire heavyweight division in boxing.
