Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou: Fight tips, start time and verdict for the ‘Battle of the Baddest’
- Lewis Oldham
- 25 October 2023
The fight *nobody* asked for is finally upon us as WBC world champion Tyson Fury faces ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Date, start time and venue
This major crossover event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, October 28th. The main event is due to take place at 10pm BST, while the undercard should get underway at 6pm.
If you wish to watch this card, it is available via TNT Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom for £21.95. In the United States, it will be shown on ESPN+ PPV at a price point of $79.99.
Planet Sport bet offer: Boxing 50% offer Fury v Ngannou OR Bet £10 on Round betting, Get £5 free bet if the fight ends in the 1st 3 rounds (*selected fights only)
Fury vs Ngannou undercard
Fabio Wardley vs David Adeleye (British heavyweight title)
Joseph Parker vs Simon Kean
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Junior Anthony Wright
Moses Itauma vs Istvan Bernath
Carlos Takam vs Martin Bakole
Jack McGann vs Alcibiade Duran Galvan
Fury vs Ngannou preview
As much as Fury likes to tell everyone that he is not fuelled by money, the farcical event fight fans will be *treated* to this weekend tells us otherwise.
Ngannou is one of the most vicious strikers in modern UFC history. But as proven by Conor McGregor’s failed transition into boxing, skills in the octagon do not naturally translate over into the squared circle so ‘The Predator’ is up against it this weekend.
In truth, Ngannou would struggle against most low-level heavyweight boxers so his fight with Fury is an utter mismatch that will only last as long as the Brit wants it to.
Fury has infuriated boxing fans over the past year as he swerved a fight with Oleksandr Usyk after making unrealistic demands for the proposed undisputed fight and this bout with Ngannou is hardly going to endear himself to the sport’s purists.
As frustrating as it is that Fury is fighting a boxing novice instead of a credible contender, it’s difficult to begrudge him going down this route as there is obscene money on the table for what *should be* an easy night’s work.
Fury was not tested in recent bouts with Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora so it remains to be seen whether he has enough left in the tank when the tough fights do come. But again, this will not be a talking point in the aftermath of this weekend.
‘The Gypsy King’ is too quick and powerful for most (if not all) current heavyweights and it will not take long for him to overwhelm Ngannou, whose main game plan will surely be to land the punch of a lifetime. And even then, as Fury’s Undertaker-esque comeback against Deontay Wilder showed, that might not even be enough to cause a mammoth upset.
Those watching this weekend will not be treated to a classic boxing match, but it will be an impressive circus-like spectacle which is required for an event of this magnitude.
Post-fight, you may feel hard done to if you only tune in for Fury vs Ngannou, but the undercard features several tasty matchups which should make up for an underwhelming main event.
There is bad blood between Wardley vs Adeleye so their fight should be entertaining for as long as it lasts, while Takam vs Bakole has the potential to be a cracker.
But back to the main event, you should not expect this one to be over inside the opening couple of rounds.
Saudi Arabia have invested a lot of money into this bout so it wouldn’t be surprising if they have had a word in Fury’s ear and asked him to play around with Ngannou before earning a stoppage victory.
This crossover main event is over ten rounds instead of twelve so expect Fury to ease his way past the halfway stage before landing a flurry of punches to end the bout around round seven.
Fury will do what he needs to do to avoid embarrassment and get the job done without risking injury because with the Usyk fight *finally* signed for December, he already has one eye on what’s ahead.
The Ngannou fight will be intriguing but unspectacular and will simply act as a speed bump en route to the undisputed fight with Usyk, which (fingers crossed) will go ahead as planned in December.
