Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: Fight Odds, Live Stream, Predictions
One of the most powerful men in MMA meets the heavyweight boxing king in Saudi Arabia when Francis Nagnnou will attempt to beat Tyson Fury in a special heavyweight bout from Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Predator will be making his first official appearance in the boxing ring. Nagnnou made his name as the UFC heavyweight champion with vicious power that enabled his 20-3 MMA record with 12 knockouts.
He'll get the toughest test of them all in Fury. His ringcraft, Fight IQ and own punching power has helped him amass a 33-0-1 record in the boxing ring. The vast majority (24) of those have come by knockout, including the last three.
Boxing is a sport whose history is littered with cross-sport spectacles, but this is the most high-quality crossover event since Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather met in the ring.
Here's a look at all the information you need to catch the bout along with the latest storylines and a prediction.
Fight Info and Odds
When: Saturday, October 28
Where: Boulevard Hall, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Live Stream: ESPN+ PPV
Odds: Fury -1400 (wager $1400 to win $100); Ngannou (+750)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Top Storylines
Will Francis Ngannou Show Boxing Potential?
No one is expecting Francis Ngannou to actually win this fight. It's hard to even make an argument that it will be competitive. Ngannou is a lethal striker in the world of MMA, but he's a boxing neophyte.
Ngannou isn't just jumping into the deep end of the pool. He's being plunged into the depths of a shark-infested ocean. But it's a fight that he has been eyeing up for a long time.
"I've been waiting on Tyson Fury for four years," Ngannou said, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. "At the time, I didn't know about Oleksandr Usyk. When the opportunity came, I wanted Tyson Fury. He's the guy."
The question is whether Ngannou can demonstrate enough boxing potential that there's interest in him doing something like this again. Ngannou's desire to box was a driving force in his decision to leave the UFC and pursue other options.
He ultimately left for the Professional Fighters League which stipulated in his contract that he would also be allowed to box.
Whether this is just a one time thing largely depends on Ngannou at least having pockets of success against Fury.
Will this Fight Draw Interest to Fury vs. Usyk?
If you need any concrete proof that Tyson Fury isn't sweating this matchup look no further than his calendar. He has a tentative December 23 date set for a title fight against Oleksandr Usyk that will also take place in Riyadh.
So what's the purpose of fighting a former UFC champion with no boxing experience just months before a legitimate championship fight?
Money, is of course the answer, but this is theoretically an opportunity for Fury to elevate his stock and awareness with a new audience.
If he's able to put on a show and win convincingly over Ngannou he could add more fans and generate more excitement for his upcoming bout with Usyk. Conversely, a poor showing here could point toward real trouble for the champion come December.
Prediction
The opening rounds will be the most fascinating ones to watch. If Ngannou can goad Fury into exchanging with him early, then there's where the fight could go haywire. Ngannou's punching power is real, but in the world of boxing, it's unrefined.
This one is scheduled for 10 rounds, but The Gypsy King probably won't need all of them unless he's just not taking the fight seriously at all.
Ngannou is a scary power puncher, but it's fair to wonder if he's able to carry that through a 10-round fight. He's in a catch-22. His best chance at a win is to catch Fury early, but expending a lot of energy early on sets him up for trouble in the back half of the fight.
Instead, Fury will likely start the bout with patience. He might even get clipped and have to survive and early exchange.
But that's where the fun will end. Fury is a strategic mover and is too smart to get caught flush with a power punch from someone like Ngannou. He'll tire out The Predator in the early round before going on the offensive after Round 5.
Whether Ngannou survives the full fight is probably up to Fury.
Prediction: Fury via 8th-round TKO