On Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, two very unlikely foes will meet in the ring for a bout dubbed “Battle of the Baddest.” This type of matchup — pinning heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou — rarely occurs, the most recent and famous being Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in 2017.
If you’re wondering how and why this came to be when both fighters have a multitude of possible opponents in their own respective sports, you wouldn’t be alone. Let’s answer the biggest questions ahead of this unique crossover event in combat sports.
How Fury got here
Fury is the WBC heavyweight boxing champion, a belt he claimed on a seventh-round TKO win in the rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2018. Fury previously was the unified champion — in possession of the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring titles after a unanimous decision victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 — but vacated those belts in 2016 to focus on his recovery from depression. He has been outspoken about those dark moments and has admitted to contemplating suicide.
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“When I was on the verge of suicide and I was attempting suicide, I didn’t realize what damage I would have caused to my family,” the Brit said in an interview with DAZN in 2018. “It never crossed my mind because when you’re in those dark, dark places, you don’t care about anything or anybody. And until you get back out into the light, you realize what damage you would have caused.
“There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t pray to God to kill me,” he said. “I suppose I’ve suffered my whole life with depression and anxiety, but I never knew what it was because I was uneducated on the matter and I just thought it was a feeling I had.”
Fury said he “heard a voice speak to me” and later decided to check himself into a hospital. At that point he was more than 400 pounds but was on the road to recovery. He returned to boxing in 2018 and proceeded to go 8-0-1 over nine fights since, his lone draw being the first matchup with Wilder.
“The Gypsy King” is unlike almost any heavyweight before him. At 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch reach, his size and length allows him to keep opponents at a distance while landing shots from the outside. While he doesn’t possess the same type of knockout power like Wilder — arguably the best finisher of his generation — he systematically breaks you down with heavy and precise punches that break your will to continue.
And while Fury has advanced offensive skills, his defensive ability is second-to-none in the division. He seemingly sees punches coming in slow motion as witnessed by incredible head movement.
How Ngannou got here
Ngannou, now fighting in PFL, is quite possibly the biggest puncher in UFC history. The Cameroon native moved to Paris when he was 26 years old and was so poor he slept on the street for months until being introduced to MMA trainer Fernand Lopez. He allowed Ngannou to train and sleep for free at MMA Factory.
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Ngannou, who had some boxing experience prior to meeting Lopez, quickly learned basic jiu-jitsu and wrestling tactics and began his professional career in 2013. After starting 5-1 he joined the UFC in 2015 in thunderous fashion, brutally knocking out Luis Henrique in the second-round with a vicious left uppercut. He would go on to win 11 of his next 13 fights, all but one — a unanimous decision over Ciryl Gane in January 2022 — by early stoppage.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who is working with Ngannou for this fight with Fury, spoke about that power.
“He has what it takes to knockout anything or anybody standing in his way,” he told The Daily Mail. “Once he lands a punch on Tyson Fury’s jaw he is going to knock him out too. Nobody can survive that.”
Why isn’t Ngannou fighting in the UFC anymore?
Ngannou was a rising star in the UFC, but despite his accolades and ability to drive pay-per-views for the company, the two had major differences when it came to his contract. For one, Ngannou and his team felt the UFC was not fairly compensating him.
While the exact figures are disputed, UFC president Dana White said, “We offered Francis a deal that would have made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company. More than (Brock) Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down.”
Ngannou, appearing on “The Ariel Helwani Show” said it was less about money and more about the other aspects of his deal. He said he asked the UFC for a three-fight deal, health insurance and the promotion waiving extension clauses.
“I asked for a lot of things, which doesn’t mean I was expecting all those things,” Ngannou said. “But I was expecting one or two out of those things.”
“In that contract, I’m not free,” he added. “In that contract, I’m not an independent contractor. In that contract, I have no rights, I have no power. I hand over all the power to you guys, and I’ve seen in the past how you can utilize that power.”
The other major aspect Ngannou wanted was the ability to box while under contract. The UFC made an exception for McGregor to face Mayweather but has not given that right to anyone else.
“They didn’t want anything to do with boxing,” he said. “They were like, if, and only if, and in good faith, and I’m like, ‘I’m not betting on that.’”
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After more than a year of back-and-forth, the UFC released Ngannou from his contract and stripped him of his heavyweight title. With interest from several other promotions, he agreed to join the Professional Fighters League in May.
Ngannou, who has yet to make his debut, will fight exclusively on PPV. He also joined the PFL’s Global Advisory Board to represent fighters, will have equity in the company and is the chairman for the upcoming PFL Africa league. Oh, and he will be allowed to box on the side.
“You have to give a ton of credit to Francis,” his agent Marquel Martin said. “Most fighters couldn’t go through what he went through this past year. He understands his value and has been extremely patient to get to this point. Now, not only is he the best heavyweight in the world, but he has a deal that is unmatched and will set him up for life.”
Is this a real fight?
Well, yes and no. This will be a professional, sanctioned heavyweight fight that counts against their records, according to Top Rank. But Fury’s WBC belt will not be at stake. Win, lose or draw, he will still have that title.
That’s not to say nothing is on the line. As the fight promo says, you’re pinning arguably the best heavyweight boxer against the best MMA fighter to see who is “the baddest man alive.” It’s for bragging rights. It’s for legacy.
What’s next for both fighters?
All of the belts will be up for grabs when Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship later this year. The date and location has not been officially confirmed for that bout, but ESPN reports it is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 23 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk, the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion is 21-0 with 14 finishes. A former cruiserweight champion, he claimed those belts with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and defended them twice with split decision over Joshua in the rematch and a KO of Daniel Dubois in August.
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“This is the biggest fight that could possibly be made in our sport,” Hall of Famer promoter Frank Warren said in a statement. “The heavyweights always spark the imagination of the fans, and I have no doubt this will be the biggest boxing event of the century.”
Added Top Rank chairman Bob Arum: “Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the two greatest heavyweights of their generation, and I can’t wait to see what happens when they step into the ring in Riyadh. They are special talents worthy of competing for the greatest prize in sports.”
This fight will be arguably the biggest on the boxing calendar, however in the chance Ngannou inflicts damage on Fury it could be delayed. Fury agreeing to a fight with Usyk just two months later shows how confident he is against the MMA fighter in a boxing ring. But this is prize fighting, after all, and crazier things have happened.
Ngannou, meanwhile, is expected to return to PFL for his promotional debut in 2024. It is yet to be determined who his first opponent will be.
(Top photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)