Following the completion of his contract after his victory over Cyril Gane at UFC 270, Francis Ngannou made headlines by failing to agree terms on a new deal with the company, becoming one of a select few active fighters to leave the UFC as a reigning champion. Ngannou made headlines once again with the announcement today that he will box Tyson Fury on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Is Tyson Fury Vs Francis Ngannou a real boxing match?
Although it is being labeled as an exhibition fight, three judges will be at ringside, and the fight will adopt the ten-point must system. A winner will be determined at the final bell if it goes that far, and neither fighter has any restrictions when attempting a knockout. Fury vs Ngannou will be a boxing match for all intents and purposes, two men trying to defeat each other. However, whether it will count on either man’s professional record is unclear.
As Francis Ngannou isn’t a ranked boxer, it’s safe to assume the WBC heavyweight title currently held by Tyson Fury will not be on the line. Former UFC Middleweight Champion, Michael Bisping, wasn’t in favor of this. He said on his YouTube channel that every time a champion boxer fights, the belt should be on the line no matter who it is against. He makes a good point, and his opinion will be shared by many. However, it’s unlikely that Ngannou will have a chance to win the gold on October 28, such is the politics within boxing.
Fury against Ngannou. A gimmick fight?
Much has been made in the media about so-called ‘gimmick fights’ of late. Dana White, president of the UFC, recently said he wasn’t in favor of them shortly before showing an interest in staging a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
In other fights labeled as gimmicks, Nate Diaz will fight Jake Paul on August 5 in a crossover bout, and we’ve seen both former NBA stars and Onlyfans creators scrap inside the ropes in recent times. These types of fights are something that, either rightly or wrongly, we fans have gotten used to over the past few years. Does Fury against Ngannou fit into the same category?
Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, recognized that the fight between Fury and Ngannou differed from what boxing fans wanted to see, but he was unwilling to wait any longer to schedule a fight for his client. Warren was being interviewed on TalkSport earlier today, and the presenter, Andy Goldstein, told Warren that he felt there was a danger that the public could be taken for ‘mugs.’ Warren responded:
”This is the two best of their respective sports. This is the [former] UFC Champion [Ngannou], who is in the Guinness Book of Records as being the hardest-punching guy out there. That’s what he is. They’re facts”.
Goldstein’s co-host told Frank Warren that he thought Fury should be fighting ‘proper people’ as the world champion. He said that the fight which people wanted to see (Fury vs Usyk) should have happened and seemed to attribute some blame towards Warren for not making it happen. Fury’s promoter disagreed.
”We made an offer to Usyk. We made him a big offer to make the fight here [in England]. They didn’t want to do it. They were all waiting until December [to fight in Saudi Arabia], which has now become 2024. Anthony Joshua said he didn’t want the fight because ‘we weren’t serious.’ What planet is he on? He’s [Anthony Joshua] fighting a guy [Dillian Whyte] who Tyson destroyed last year.”
What happens in the fight?
Tyson Fury will go into the fight as a huge favorite against Francis Ngannou, and rightly so. The main argument for a Ngannou victory will be his sheer power. After all, it’s heavyweight boxing; one punch is all it takes.
It’s worth noting that some consider Deontay Wilder the hardest-hitting boxer in modern history, and he failed to defeat Tyson Fury in three attempts. A better question might be, what happens after the fight if Ngannou wins? A rematch with Fury would be likely, this time for the WBC heavyweight title. It would have to, surely?
Should Ngannou win, then Fury decided against a rematch, how could he still claim to be the world’s heavyweight champion? Sure, he’d have the belt, but if Ngannou defeats him, he will be viewed as the champion, regardless of whether he has the strap. Interesting times could be on the horizon.
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