One of the biggest events of the year, quite literally, is set to kick off this weekend. A dream matchup of top heavyweights in boxing and MMA is set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night when WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury squares off with former UFC and lineal heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The two will meet inside the boxing ring as the latest in the crossover genre.
Your mileage will vary on crossover fights, but there is no denying the spectacle of Fury vs. Ngannou. The fight — dubbed “Rumble in Riyadh” — features two of the best heavyweights of their time in their respective sports. The painfully overdue Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight has damaged Fury’s brand, but the former unified heavyweight boxing champ is a generational talent.
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Ngannou rocked the mixed martial arts world at the beginning of the year after splitting from UFC despite being the promotion’s heavyweight titleholder. It’s impossible to ask Ngannou to bridge the technical gap against Fury (33-0-1) in his boxing debut, but there is arguably no MMA fighter with a puncher’s chance more powerful than Ngannou.
Unified heavyweight champion Usyk will be one of the most interested spectators in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night and he was greeted by Fury upon arrival in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Usyk and Fury have finally signed on for the first four-belt undisputed title bout in heavyweight history with the target date of Dec. 23. But if Fury were to suffer an injury, cut or stunning upset, it would only delay that bout even further into 2024.
“Francis Ngannou is a big man. I see he’s taken a bit of advice from me with the clothes he’s wearing,” Fury said at the final press conference this week. “He’s looking a bit snazzy. They say the finest form of flattery is imitation. And he’s got his suit on with no shirt on, and I started that! So, he’s imitating. But, there’s one thing I say, and it’s that many will imitate, but no one will ever replicate. Because there’s only one Gypsy King.”
The undercard really doesn’t do much for casual fans checking in for the spectacle that is expected in the main event. But the fights to go off before Fury and Ngannou hit the ring are all heavyweight contests with a few names hardcore fans might recognize. Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye are set as the chief support bout for the main event. Plus, former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker is back in action when he takes on Simon Kean. And veteran Carlos Takam hits the ring once more when he battles with Martin Bakole.
“Even if I were fighting Tyson Fury, I don’t think there’s any more that we could have done in camp,” Parker said at the final press conference this week. “We’ve trained very hard for Simon Kean. And we respect him as a fighter. We know that he’s got a lot of knockouts, so we’ve done everything in our power to be as prepared as we can be for this challenge.
“I’m going to follow the plan that Andy Lee says and punch his face.”
Below is the complete fight card for Fury vs. Ngannou. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
Fury vs. Ngannou fight card, odds
| Tyson Fury -1400 | Francis Ngannou +750 | Heavyweight |
| Fabio Wardley -310 | David Adeleye +230 | Heavyweight |
| Joseph Parker -1200 | Simon Kean +600 | Heavyweight |
| Martin Bakole -750 | Carlos Takam +475 | Heavyweight |
| Arslanbek Makhumodov -4000 | Anthony Wright +1100 | Heavyweight |
| Moses Itauma -3000 | Istvan Bernath +1000 | Heavyweight |
Fury vs. Ngannou info
- Date: Oct. 28
- Location: Boulevard Hall — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV | Price: $79.99
Fury vs. Ngannou countdown
Who wins Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury, and which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn’s best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.