Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou have agreed to a boxing match in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 28, sources told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.
The rules and exact number of rounds for the fight are still unclear, Coppinger reports. This is leading to heavy action at Bodog sports betting on the crossover fight. Fury first mentioned the possibility of a bout with Ngannou last April.
“Big Francis Ngannou is here today,” Fury said. “He’s on my hit list in an exhibition fight, however he wants it: in a cage, in a boxing ring, boxing gloves, UFC gloves, we can make it happen. I think everyone wants to see it. He’s a monster of a guy, I’m a monster of a guy, so it will be a clash of the titans for sure.”
The “Gypsy King” has been idle since he took down Derek Chisora via 10th-round stoppage last December. Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) had been in talks with Oleksandr Usyk for an undisputed heavyweight title fight, but negotiations broke down.
Ngannou (20-3-3, 12 KOs) hasn’t fought since January 2022 when he retained his UFC heavyweight belt with a victory over Ciryl Gane.
The 36-year-old parted ways with the UFC in January after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension.
Ngannou signed a multi-fight contract with PFL in May to compete in MMA. He is expected to debut for the promotion in mid-2024 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The agreement also allowed Ngannou to pursue boxing matches outside of the PFL.
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