Five Things You Should Know About Ngannou’s Match With Tyson Fury
For the past three months, anticipation has been steadily building around the match between Francis Ngannou, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, and WBC title holder Tyson Fury, announced in July 2023.
On October 7, 2023, a 1.35-minute promotional video for the match, posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Turki Alalshikh, a Saudi adviser at the Royal Court under the rank of Minister and the current Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment, went viral and has garnered over 158 million views on X alone as of October 11, 2023.
With just two weeks for the duo to lock gloves in the much-anticipated match, here are five things you should know.
Mike Tyson will be present at Francis Ngannou’s ringside
Mike Tyson, a former professional boxer widely regarded as one of the most iconic and polarizing figures in the history of the sport, was appointed by Ngannou as a coach.
In his prime, Tyson became the undisputed heavyweight champion by holding all three major world titles – WBA, WBC, and IBF – simultaneously. He was a dominant force in the heavyweight division during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Not only has Ngannou learned from the legendary boxer, but he’s thrilled to have him ringside on October 28.
“He’s here because of my fight and to assist me. He’s actually giving me instructions, and I’m thinking, ‘Man, this is really Mike Tyson. I’m not imagining things. It’s real.’ That’s how significant this is,” he said during a press briefing.
Ngannou has no professional boxing experience
Francis Ngannou is engaging Fury under the official rules of professional boxing. With no formal boxing experience, Ngannou will make his professional boxing debut against a seasoned boxer considered one of the greatest of modern times.
With Tyson at his side, Ngannou appears undaunted as he takes on Tyson Fury, who was named after Mike Tyson.
“I have had these dreams since I was a child of becoming a boxer, and today, it’s not just that I’m going to box, but I am going to face the man on the mountaintop.”
He added: “Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen, but what I do know for sure is I will be out there hunting for this guy’s head, to take it off.”
However, Fury feels it would be humiliating if he allowed Ngannou to defeat him in his own game, which he has dedicated 15 years to mastering.
“If I lose to an MMA fighter, I’ll never be able to show my face in public again,” he added. “It’s going to be a source of ridicule – people will taunt me about it forever,” Tyson Fury said.
Why It’s Possible for Ngannou to Fight Fury
After a falling out with UFC President Dana White, Ngannou chose not to renew his contract. However, earlier this year, Ngannou joined MMA promotional outfit PFL, which, unlike the UFC, does not contractually prevent fighters from participating in other combat sports.
Professional Statistics
Though they have different fighting backgrounds, their achievements speak volumes.
With 34 fights, Fury has only lost one since the beginning of his professional career, with 24 of his victories coming by way of knockout.
While Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champion in 2021 and defended his title once, he has won 17 out of 20 matches.
A Lucrative Payday
The match, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is expected to generate millions of dollars for both Fury and Ngannou.
While the purses for the event have not been disclosed, Fury revealed that Ngannou is set to earn $10 million from the match.
It is also expected that Fury will earn an even larger sum.
