Heavyweight super fight booked for Saudi Arabia

Boxing’s heavyweight division just received a major announcement when lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou agreed to fight on October 28 in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. This cross promotional fight may be the biggest since Floyd Mayweather and Connor Mcgregor in 2017.

The fight has been announced, however there are still a few details that need to be ironed out like the number of rounds, whether Fury's WBC heavyweight title will be on the line, and whether the fight will count toward their professional boxing records. What we do know is the fight will take place in a regulation boxing ring under natural boxing rules. There will be three ringside judges with the 10-point system in effect.

Both fighters have shown an extreme level of excitement with both fighters spreading mutual respect for one another and calling each other their best at their respective fields. “I can't wait to get back out there under the lights," Fury said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to showing the world that The Gypsy King is the greatest fighter of his generation in an epic battle with another master of his craft."

"My dream was always to box, and to box the best," Ngannou said in his statement. "After becoming the undisputed MMA Heavyweight Champion, this is my opportunity to make that dream come true and cement my position as the baddest man on the planet." Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOS) was left scrambling for an opponent after negotiations with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship fell through. Ngannou (20-3-3 MMA record) has made boxing one of his main priorities ever since leaving the UFC. The former champ underwent surgery in March to repair his MCL and ACL. Two months later, he signed a deal with the PFL that allowed him to box as well.

Ngannou hopes to be a two-sport star and this fight will be his introduction into the sweet science. "My next step has to be boxing," Ngannou told ESPN's Brett Okamoto in March. "I want to do one boxing match first, and then maybe go back to MMA because I still enjoy MMA. I want to do a couple of fights in boxing. We are working on some stuff, and hopefully in a month or two I will be able to come out with an announcement on potential fight dates and locations. It's taking a little longer than I expected, but it's coming along. Big things come with time."