BATTLE OF THE BADDEST: FURY AND NAGANOU COME FACE-TO-FACE FOR FIRST TIME AHEAD OF HISTORIC RIYADH CLASH

Groundbreaking boxing bout between world champions to mark the start of Riyadh Season

Thursday 7 September, London: Fight fans witnessed two worlds collide on Thursday evening when Tyson Fury, the current WBC heavyweight champion, and Francis Ngannu, former UFC heavyweight champion, faced off for the first time ahead of their highly anticipated ‘Battle of the Baddest’ bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday 28 October.

The two fighters met face-to-face at the Outernet in London in front of a packed press conference, as well as thousands online who watched via live stream, as they prepare to step into the ring to fight next month, with the event acting as the launch for this year’s Riyadh Season, one of the world’s largest entertainment events that welcomes visitors from across the globe.

The fight will take place under professional boxing rules with Fury looking to preserve his unbeaten record spanning 34 bouts over 14 years, while his opponent Ngannou, who left the UFC after ten years in January 2023 as the reigning heavyweight champion at the time, making his debut on a boxing card and currently holds the record for the ‘world’s hardest punch’.

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and Head of Riyadh Season, said: “We are always striving to set new standards in everything we do and I cannot think of a better way to open the fourth edition of Riyadh season than to have two world champions from the leading codes of combat fighting come face-to-face in the ring. This bout will break new boundaries and we cannot wait to welcome visitors from around the world to witness this momentous event.”

During an intense encounter in London, Francis Ngannu said: “I am very excited and very happy from having this dream since I was a kid. I am not just going to box, I am going to box the guy at the top of the mountain. This is so big, I can’t stop thinking about it, history is about to be made in Riyadh. It’s not just a fight, we are going to be opening up Riyadh season, it is a cultural event which will make this even bigger.”

In his reply, Tyson Fury said: “This is a colossal event, me and Francis Ngannu here, the former UFC champion, Riyadh Season. I’ve actually fought on the Riyadh Season before back in 2019 at the WWE Crown Jewel and I knocked out the monster among men Braun Strowman. For me, I’ve topped the bills in Vegas, London, all over the place, now I get to do it on the world’s biggest stage.”