Two combat sports titans are set to collide in the boxing ring on Saturday when WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury battles former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The bout features the two baddest men in the world in their sport, adding an extra something special to the constant parade of “crossover boxing” events.
Fury has never tasted defeat as a professional and has met other massive punches, including three fights with Deontay Wilder in which Wilder scored knockdowns but could not keep Fury on the canvas. Fury also is set to face WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk with a targeted date of Dec. 23, which adds a bit of extra intrigue to the Ngannou fight as any injury or cut could set Fury back from his pursuit of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic in March 2021 to win the UFC heavyweight championship. He defended the title with a decision over Ciryl Gane the following January and then parted ways with the UFC amid a bitter round of contract negotiations. One of the sticking points in those negotiations was Ngannou’s desire to take a chance in the boxing ring.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities.
Fury vs. Ngannou viewing information
- Date: Oct. 28 | Start time: 1 p.m. ET (main event around 5 p.m. ET)
- Location: Boulevard Hall — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
Fury vs. Ngannou card, odds
- Tyson Fury -1400 vs. Francis Ngannou +750, heavyweights
- Fabio Wardley -310 vs. David Adeleye +230, heavyweights
- Joseph Parker -1200 vs. Simon Kean +600, heavyweights
- Martin Bakole -750 vs. Carlos Takam +475, heavyweights
Predictions and expert picks
Brian Campbell, writer and host of “Morning Kombat”: Inevitably, this fight will become the skill mismatch it’s expected to be but not without Fury using his size in order to force Ngannou to carry his weight in hopes of a late knockout. The problem remains that Ngannou, who took a beating for the final four rounds of his first UFC title fight against Stipe Miocic in 2019, isn’t exactly easy to finish. Although the odds don’t favor this fight going the distance, the possibility remains, especially if Ngannou can prove to be more dangerous than expected. Either way, expect this to be one-way traffic in favor of Fury. Fury via UD
Brent Brookhouse, staff writer: There’s no real question about who wins here. Outside of the proverbial “puncher’s chance” there’s no real path to victory for Ngannou. And even that chance is diminished somewhat when you remember that Fury has been caught clean and dropped multiple times by Wilder, one of the hardest punchers pound-for-pound in boxing history. Ngannou needs to land a bomb that does more damage to Fury than Wilder, a world champion boxer, was able to. Maybe Ngannou can land that bomb and maybe Fury’s chin has diminished some. But probably not. Also, Fury has tremendous defense and head movement, which will cause further complications for Ngannou connecting with a fight-ending shot. All credit to Ngannou for taking the chance to split from the UFC and chase down a huge payday but it’s hard to see how the end result goes his way. Before the Usyk fight was signed, I’d have expected Fury to “play the game” and drag Ngannou along a bit. There’s simply too much risk for Fury to play around now and possibly derail the massive bout to crown an undisputed champion. Fury in less than four rounds.
