Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Preview

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Preview

By Matt Elliott

This weekend Tyson Fury takes on Francis Ngannou in a crossover event which it is fair to say has divided opinion. Fury, the current WBC heavyweight champion of the world, has been widely criticised for taking on former UFC star Ngannou, at a time when he is still an active heavyweight, and ten months have passed since he last defended his title. Furthermore, a fight against Oleksandr Usyk for the honour of becoming undisputed champion seemed easy to make, yet Fury appeared to put endless barriers in the way, resulting in Usyk instead taking his WBA mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois, frustrating fans worldwide. 

Now, it is important to put some balance to the argument. Frank Warren lays the blame for the fall down of the undisputed fight firmly at Usyk’s door and claims Fury is right to venture down the path with Ngannou, given he currently has no mandatory challenger from the WBC. Warren may indeed be telling the truth, but as Fury has built a reputation for changing his opinion every time the sun rises, it is hard for people to buy into that view.

So here we are. At a time when the heavyweight division should be flourishing, its biggest star is taking on a man who has never boxed professionally. Ngannou is, undoubtedly, a hard puncher, but to think he can take on Fury, who has boxed all of his life and succeed, is highly improbable. Regardless of all the criticism though, the event will be a success; people will choose to buy it, as much out of intrigue than anything else. The danger of that of course, is the more successful the event is, the more the chances are of it happening again in the future.

In fairness to Warren, he has at least built a solid undercard stacked with actual boxers. We have seen in previous Fury outings, that such are the financial demands of the heavyweight champion, that the quality of the rest of the card is often compromised as a result. On this occasion though, the opposite is the case.

Fabio Wardley (16-0) faces David Adeleye (12-0), with an agreement reached with the British Boxing Board of Control, that allows Wardley’s British title to be on the line, despite the fight taking place in Riyadh. This is a fight that should have taken place several months ago, only for Frazer Clarke to be ordered to face Wardley. Despite the former Olympian signalling his intent to take the fight, Boxxer had other ideas and pulled out of the purse bids, leaving Wardley high and dry. The BBBoC then ordered the Adeleye fight, leading to this intriguing clash. There have been some cross-words exchanged in the build-up, coupled with a minor fracas at the press conference, which left Wardley with a cut, all of which only served to build the hype. I’d favour Wardley going into this one, but if Adeleye can force the pace early on and impose his power, he could walk out with the belt.

Elsewhere, Martin Bakole (19-1), another victim of inactivity since signing with Boxxer, takes on veteran Carlos Takam (40-7-1). This is a fight Bakole should win, with Takam nothing more than a form of gatekeeper these days, although he did defeat Tony Yoka last time out. There is a lot of hype that surrounds Bakole, most of it nothing to do with him, but he needs to back that up come Saturday night, and prove he is worthy of a shot at some of the division’s top names.

Joseph Parker (32-3), stablemate of Fury, returns to action against Simon Kean (23-1). Parker looks in the best shape of his life and he will also be hoping to put in a performance that puts his name back into the forefront of people’s minds. A victory for him and for Bakole, could naturally lead to a showdown between the two in the months ahead.

Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0) takes on late replacement Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1), in what could prove to be a one-sided affair. Wright stepped in after the withdrawal of Agron Smakici and whilst this provides a completely different proposition for Makhmudov, he will be hoping to impress on a big stage.

Moses Itauma (5-0) continues his progression at heavyweight, with his sixth outing of the year against Istvan Bernath (10-1), whilst in the only non-heavyweight bout of the evening, IBO European super welterweight champion Jack McGann (8-0-1) faces Roberto Duran Jr (12-3), son of the legendary Hall of Famer. McGann, who won the IBO title last time out, is set to face Samuel Antwi for the British belt in early 2024, so will be hoping to come through this one relatively unscathed.  

The full card is available to purchase on TNT Box Office at a price point of £21.95.