Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou: Fighters Are In Saudi Arabia

Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou is four days away. The Battle of the Baddest fight week kicked off in fine fashion Tuesday evening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WBC and lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou made their grand arrivals ahead of the showdown this Saturday, Oct. 28, at Boulevard Hall.

This scrap–there is debate about whether or not this is a on-the-books fight or no–kicks off Riyadh Season, one of the world’s leading entertainment festivals, which runs the winter months in the Kingdom’s largest city.

Promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank and GIMIK Fight Promotions, the Fury-Ngannou card streams live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV in the United States beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Priced at $79.99 across all distributors, it also will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.

From a release sent by the promotion:

The pay-per-view undercard will be an all-heavyweight extravaganza and features a 12-round showdown between undefeated British standouts Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), along with a 10-rounder between former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) and Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs).

Parker is looking to have a revitalized run under the direction of trainer Andy Lee

Montreal-based wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) will fight the upset-minded Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round tilt, and Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) will open the pay-per-view broadcast in a six-rounder against Istvan Bernath (10-1, 8 KOs).

This is what Fury and Ngannou had to say at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou arrival:

Tyson Fury Speaks At Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou Arrival 

“I can stand and trade with anybody. I stood and traded with Wilder. I traded with Wladimir {Klitschko}, and I'll stand and trade with this little bi*ch.”

“I might give him a slick, master boxing performance, not let the ugly man touch me once. That would be unbelievable, wouldn't it? I might start dancing, tripling the jab like Apollo Creed, move around, just stick and move.

“When {Ngannou} feels this right hand, he won't be winning very much.”

“Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror and think I'm an absolute genius. When everyone thought it was all over for the GK, he comes and totally redeems himself and pulls this out of the hat. Only six months ago, I didn't know if I ever was going to box again. Now, here we go.”

“I'm not thinking about {the Oleksandr Usyk fight}. I got this big sausage to deal with, and once I grill him up nice and good, then we'll move on to the next one.”

Francis Ngannou at Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou Arrival

“I can't believe it. Walking from there, I looked at it like, “The boy made it.'”

“I didn't try to replicate what Fury would do. I'm not going in there to play Fury's game. I'm going there to play my own game. So, my training was based on me, how I can fight, and that's what me and my coaches worked on. It went well. Tough, but it went well.”

“I'm aware of my lack of experience in boxing, but I am a man of challenges, and I've overcome a lot of challenges,” he said at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou arrival.

“Before anything can happen on Saturday night, there are two. We are already the two baddest men on the planet. We're just aiming for the first spot.”

“I've been waiting on Tyson Fury for four years. At the time, I didn't know about Oleksandr Usyk. When the opportunity came, I wanted Tyson Fury. He's the guy.”

The OG deal-makers Frank Warren and Bob Arum look relaxed, as the promotion hums along smoothly

Saturday, October 28

Top Rank on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT) Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, 10 rounds, heavyweight

Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye, 12 rounds, heavyweight

Joseph Parker vs. Simon Kean, 10 rounds, heavyweight

Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright, 10 rounds, heavyweight

Moses Itauma vs. Istvan Bernath, 6 rounds, heavyweight on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou undercard

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About Riyadh Season:
Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and other unique cultural events. In 2023, Riyadh Season will commence on Saturday, 28 October with a spectacular opening ceremony and an historic boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.