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Joshua destroys Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

March 9, 2024March 9, 2024UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Tyson Fury did not do that to Francis Ngannou!

Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua(28-3, 25 KOs) defeated Ngannou by a vicious second-round knockout, and Ngannou(0-2) was out cold at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday,

Joshua dropped Ngannou three times in this fight: once in the first round and twice in the second. The fight ended after Joshua drilled Ngannou with a destructive right hand, and the referee did not even bother to count.

Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury and lasted ten rounds with the WBC heavyweight champion. Clearly, his fight with Joshua was a much different story.

Riydah, Saudi Arabia: Anthony Joshua v Francis N’Gannou, Heavyweight Contest 9 March 2024 Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing Francis N’Gannou is put down in Round two for the 1st time

What happened to Ngannou on Friday night in Saudi Arabia should have happened last October when Ngannou faced Fury. This is what an elite boxer is supposed to do to an MMA fighter.

Ngannou is expected to go back to the Octagon and battle Renan Ferreira in a Professional Fighting League event. After what we saw on Friday night, he should stay away from boxing’s elite heavyweights, while Joshua should be in line for some big heavyweights scraps.

Outside of a fight against Fury, Joshua’s next biggest fight would be facing former world champion Deontay Wilder, who is coming off a loss to Joseph Parker. Despite that loss, Wilder still has a big name, and while the fight is many years late, it’s still not too late for it to happen.

Ngannou to make PFL debut against winner of Ferreira-Bader

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Francis Ngannou will make his PFL debut against the winner of the Heavyweight Superfight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, Professional Fight League announced on Thursday.

Currently, Ngannou is preparing for his second professional boxing bout, wherein he will take on former two-time unified world heavyweight champion and world number two-ranked heavyweight Anthony Joshua on March 8th.

He will turn his attention back to MMA, where he will make his PFL SmartCage debut against the winner of the Heavyweight Superfight between 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan “Problema” Ferreira and Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan “Darth” Bader. Ferreira and Bader will main event the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions pay-per-view, taking place this Saturday, February 24th, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou signed with PFL in May, becoming the first active fighter to serve on PFL’s Global Advisory Board and an equity owner and Chairman of the coming PFL Africa regional league. Ngannou recently stepped into the boxing ring for the first time ever, losing a razor-thin split decision to Tyson Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion.

Joshua, Ngannou discuss upcoming showdown in Saudi Arabia

January 16, 2024January 17, 2024UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Former unified World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua will battle MMA superstar and now Heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou on March 8 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fresh off his stoppage win over Otto Wallin, Joshua is riding high, and Ngannou, who dropped Tyson Fury in his pro debut in 2023, hopes to build off that performance.

Joshua should win this fight, but many thought Fury would toy with Ngannou, but that clearly was not the case.

On Monday, Joshua and Ngannou faced off at a press conference in London. Here is what the two fighters had to say.

Anthony Joshua:

“Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything; my soul, my spirit, my mind, my body. We’ll see where it leads me, right now, I’m not thinking about any championship belts, or anything. My main focus is Francis, realistically, it’s getting through an intense, focused training camp, because how I train is how I fight. If I get victory in my training camp I am sure I get victory on the night. We’ll put the belts on hold because my focus is on getting through training camp and getting to the fight successfully.

(On Ben Davison) “It’s really good working with him and the whole team at the academy. They have helped a lot. I still speak a lot with Derrick James in the States, but being home and having someone just as good, I’m just searching for greatness really. Continuously searching for greatness, how to elevate myself, push forward in every aspect of my game, and this is just another challenge and during each challenge I find out so much about myself. Even though I already know who I am, I know I am going to discover new things about myself and things that can take me to new heights.

“He brings two arms, a body, like every other fighter does. But it’s his mind that is different. Everyone has their own unique mind. In terms of the frame and make up, I’ve seen people like him and he’s seen people like me many times before, but it’s his mind that I have to conquer in the ring. You have to take their soul and spirit, and I am looking for the challenge for sure, it’s going to be good, explosive. There’s many ways to skin a cat, I can counter-punch, he can counter-punch. We can both box, we can both trade, it’s going to be a good fight – and shout out to His Excellency, my promoter, my team at 258 for getting me in this position to showcase why I am the top Heavyweight in the UK. I’m not really concerned about the world, I’m trying to conquer where I live and make everyone know that I am the one that puts boxing on the map.”

Francis Ngannou:

“Thank you to my brother, His Excellency, for once again putting me in this position to live my dream and have all those great experiences like I had in Riyadh two months ago, it was amazing. Hopefully this will be the same thing.

“I’ve been sitting here and listening to people talking and even Eddie praising me, and I appreciate that, but at the same time, I am not sure if he wants me to sleep on his guy – but that’s not going to happen. I am just a beginner out here that’s going to train really hard and do everything as the underdog to win the fight.

“I don’t take my last fight as a reference, I know exactly where I am at, I’m going to get better and better and that’s how I see things. I’m preparing for a tough fight, the Fury fight was great, but that’s in the past and I have a new challenge in front of me, and I take it more serious now than before because now I think there’s something more on the line, which is probably the Undisputed fight. So let’s see, I will do something that no-one has done before and I believe I have the tools to do that, starting with having the win over ‘AJ’ on March 8 in a big fight – not an easy fight, but a possible one and I am going to take it.

“I’m going to fight him, so what do you think I am going to do? I will look for his chin. That’s what you do in a fight, you try to hit someone on the chin or wherever to try to hurt him. I heard he doesn’t have a chin, I don’t know if it’s true or not, we’re going to find out and I hope that I have the opportunity to test that – that’s my wish.”

Here is the undercard, which includes a big heavyweight showdown:

The heavyweight division will take further shape when the Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) defends his WBO Interim world championship against former world champion Joseph Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) from New Zealand.

Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs), the WBC World Champion from Mexico will make a first defence of his belt when he takes on No.1 contender, the Liverpool featherweight firebrand Nick Ball (19-0, 11 KOs).

Featuring on the card is a Battle of Britain at Lightweight, where top young contender and IBF European Champion Mark Chamberlain (14-0, 10 KOs) from England will challenge for the European Champion, Welshman Gavin Gwynne (17-2-1, 5 KOs).

Also performing in Riyadh will be Australian Heavyweight hopeful Justis Huni (8-0, 4 KOs), who will be looking to make his name in the flagship division (opponent details to be included ASAP) plus Cruiserweight prospect Roman Fury (3-0, 1 KO), British Super-Welterweight Jack McGann (9-0-1, 6 KOs) and local Saudi Arabian Super-Lightweight Ziyad Almaayouf (4-0, 1 KO).

Fury on knockdown: ‘It’s part of boxing’

October 29, 2023October 30, 2023UncategorizedLeave a Comment

They always say in the heavyweight division that one punch can change everything, and that’s what happened Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury(34-0-1, 24 KOs) was dropped by MMA star Francis Ngannou in the third round, but he was able to overcome it and win by a 10-round split decision.

One judge had it 95-94 for Ngannou, overruled by two judges that scored it 96-93 and 95-94 for Fury.

The 35-year-old Fury landed solid right hands on Ngannou early. However, Ngannou was able to stand up to his power.

In the third round, it all changed. Ngannou caught Fury with a right hand on the side of the head, and Fury was dropped for the third time in his career by a fighter not named Deontay Wilder. Fury got up, and he did not appear to be hurt.

Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

“It’s part of boxing,” Fury said of the knockdown. “I got caught behind the head again. My legs weren’t hurt or nothing. I was alright. And I got back up and it was what it was. And I got back to my boxing. I don’t know how close it was. But I got the win, and that’s what it is.”

However, both fighters were cautious the rest of way, but Ngannou was landing the harder shots.

According to CompuBox, Fury outlanded Ngannou 71-59; however, Ngannou landed more power punches(37-32).

In the end, ‘The Gypsy King’ survives.

“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said. “He’s one hell of a fighter. He’s strong, a big puncher, and a lot better as a boxer than we thought he would ever be. He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher. I respect him a lot before the fight and afterward.

“He was very awkward. He wasn’t coming forward. He was standing back and waiting for me to land my punches and then try to counter. He’s a good fighter. He’s given me one of my toughest fights in the last ten years.”

The 37-year-old Ngannou wants a rematch.

“We can run it back again, and I’m sure I will get the better,” he said. “This was my first boxing match. It was a great experience. I’m not giving any excuse. I know I came up short. But I’m going to go back and work harder with a little more experience and a little more feeling of the game. And I will come back even stronger.

“At first, I was a little nervous. This is a new sport that I never did. Now I know I can do this sh*t. So, get ready!”

This was not a good showing by Fury, who entered for the first time in 11 months. He did not appear to be in decent shape, and he did not look like himself.

It should be interesting to see how long Fury will take to fight unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk; the fight was announced in September, but there’s no official date.

Despite losing, this was a win for MMA as Ngannou went against the best heavyweight in the world and almost pulled it off. Maybe he has a future in boxing.

In other action:

Heavyweight: In an all-British showdown, Fabio Wardley (17-0, 16 KOs) put an exclamation point on a bitter, months-long rivalry with David Adeleye (12-1, 11 KOs) by scoring a seventh-round TKO. Wardley pressed the action while Adeleye circled the ring. Adeleye found openings in the fifth round, but in round seven, Wardley was back in control with firm jabs. Then, while separating from a clinch, Wardley landed a right-left combo that floored Adeleye and ended matters with another combo shortly thereafter. Time of stoppage: 2:43.

Heavyweight Former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) defeated Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean (23-2, 22 KOs) via third-round TKO. Parker spent the first two rounds deciphering Kean’s defense. He then began to land uppercuts in between Kean’s guard, first wobbling him and then stopping him with another. Time of stoppage: 2:04.

Heavyweight: Montreal-based wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) notched a first-round TKO against Junior Anthony Wright (20-5-1, 17 KOs). Makhmudov dropped Wright with a right hand followed by consecutive left hooks. Wright survived the knockdown, but another right hand by “The Lion” nearly had Wright out on his feet, forcing referee Steve Gray to stop the fight. Time of stoppage: 1:10.

Heavyweight: 18-year-old British prodigy Moses Itauma (6-0, 4 KOs) iced Istvan Bernath (10-2, 8 KOs) via first-round TKO. Itauma sent Bernath to the canvas with a jab before ending matters with combinations around Bernath’s guard. Time of stoppage: 1:53.

Fury, Ngannou talk big fight

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023UncategorizedLeave a Comment

WBC & lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou will lock horns this Saturday, Oct. 28, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The long-awaited battle of behemoths kicks off Riyadh Season, one of the world’s leading entertainment festivals, which runs throughout the winter months in the Kingdom’s largest city.

The pay-per-view undercard, an all-heavyweight affair, features a 12-round showdown between undefeated British standouts Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), along with a 10-round battle between former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) and Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs).

Montreal-based wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) will take on the upset-minded Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round clash, and Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) will open the pay-per-view broadcast in a six-rounder against Istvan Bernath (10-1, 8 KOs).

At Thursday’s press conference, an eventful show that included an animated John Fury (Tyson’s father), this is what the fighters had to say:

Tyson Fury

“It’s absolutely unbelievable to be out here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To be top of the bill, the main event, is even more special. We’ve all got a lot to be thankful for. We’ve all come a long way to be here. This has all happened in a short space of time. And to see it all unfold is really amazing.”

“Francis Ngannou is a big man. I see he’s taken a bit of advice from me with the clothes he’s wearing. He’s looking a bit snazzy. They say the finest form of flattery is imitation. And he’s got his suit on with no shirt on, and I started that! So, he’s imitating. But, there’s one thing I say, and it’s that many will imitate, but no one will ever replicate. Because there’s only one Gypsy King.”

“How do I prepare for a guy like this? It’s pretty difficult, but in America, we say a statement like this, ‘I’m gonna knock a motherf*er out!’ And that’s how we do it. I’ve been working with SugarHill {Steward} to knock him out cold on Saturday night, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will knock him out.”

“He’s a big, strong guy. Obviously, he’s got a good punch. But so am I. I’m a big, strong guy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be the world heavyweight champion. But I believe there’s levels to the game. And he’s going to find out my level on Saturday night.”

Francis Ngannou**

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Image

“This is a dream come true. And I remember four years ago, when I first met Mike Tyson, my only request was for him to be in my corner if I fight Tyson Fury. People thought I was losing it. They thought I was crazy. They thought it would never happen. But here we are. The fight is happening. So, I’m living a dream. This has always been my dream. It wasn’t easy, but we are here.”

“I want to thank Tyson Fury for taking the fight and taking this risk because there is a lot of risk here for him. He might go to sleep on Saturday night. But I appreciate his courage, and I thank him.”

“This camp has been different from my past camps. It’s a different experience, a different beast. I was aware that there was a mountain in front of me, so that’s why we started the camp a lot earlier. And it went well, but having somebody like Mike Tyson around and my coach Dewey Cooper was very helpful in terms of approaching this fight.”

“We got Mike Tyson in, and the first thing he said that stuck in my mind is when he said, ‘Listen, he has two hands and two feet like you.’ And I got that. And that’s enough for Saturday night. Tyson Fury is definitely the best in boxing, but that’s stopping on Saturday night.”

Fury, Ngannou arrive in Saudi Arabia

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023UncategorizedLeave a Comment

WBC & lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou made their grand arrivals today ahead of their showdown this Saturday, Oct. 28, at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia(ESPN+ PPV).

The long-awaited battle of behemoths kicks off Riyadh Season, one of the world’s leading entertainment festivals, which runs throughout the winter months in the Kingdom’s largest city.

The pay-per-view undercard will be an all-heavyweight extravaganza and features a 12-round showdown between undefeated British standouts Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), along with a 10-rounder between former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) and Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs).

Montreal-based wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) will fight the upset-minded Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round tilt, and Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) will open the pay-per-view broadcast in a six-rounder against Istvan Bernath (10-1, 8 KOs).

At Tuesday’s grand arrivals, this is what Fury and Ngannou had to say:

Tyson Fury

“I can stand and trade with anybody. I stood and traded with Wilder. I traded with Wladimir {Klitschko}, and I’ll stand and trade with this little bi*ch.”

“I might give him a slick, master boxing performance, not let the ugly man touch me once. That would be unbelievable, wouldn’t it? I might start dancing, tripling the jab like Apollo Creed, move around, just stick and move.

“When {Ngannou} feels this right hand, he won’t be winning very much.”

“Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror and think I’m an absolute genius. When everyone thought it was all over for the GK, he comes and totally redeems himself and pulls this out of the hat. Only six months ago, I didn’t know if I ever was going to box again. Now, here we go.”

“I’m not thinking about {the Oleksandr Usyk fight}. I got this big sausage to deal with, and once I grill him up nice and good, then we’ll move on to the next one.”

Francis Ngannou

Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images

“I can’t believe it. Walking from there, I looked at it like, “The boy made it.'”

“I didn’t try to replicate what Fury would do. I’m not going in there to play Fury’s game. I’m going there to play my own game. So, my training was based on me, how I can fight, and that’s what me and my coaches worked on. It went well. Tough, but it went well.”

“I’m aware of my lack of experience in boxing, but I am a man of challenges, and I’ve overcome a lot of challenges.”

“Before anything can happen on Saturday night, there are two. We are already the two baddest men on the planet. We’re just aiming for the first spot.”

“I’ve been waiting on Tyson Fury for four years. At the time, I didn’t know about Oleksandr Usyk. When the opportunity came, I wanted Tyson Fury. He’s the guy.”

Fury-Ngannou undercard announced

September 29, 2023September 29, 2023UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Unbeaten British heavyweight standouts Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye will meet in a high-stakes clash Saturday, Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 12-round battle of emerging stars will serve as the chief support contest to the historic showdown between WBC & lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson Fury and lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.

The premier combat sports event of the year, which marks the opening of Riyadh Season – the world’s biggest entertainment event – features a night of action delivered by boxing’s marquee division, the heavyweights.

Former WBO world champion Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs), from Auckland, New Zealand, goes up against Canada’s Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs), and bone-crunching puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs), also residing in Canada, takes on Croatian veteran Agron Smakici (19-2, 17 KOs). Both fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.

And, in a special six-round special attraction, 18-year-old heavyweight phenomenon Moses Itauma (5-0, 3 KOs) will face an opponent to be named.

This unprecedented heavyweight spectacular is promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank and GIMIK Fight Promotions, along with Eye Of The Tiger, promoter of Kean and Makhmudov.

Fury-Ngannou and the heavyweight undercard will be available on pay-per-view in the United States.

Ipswich’s Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) became English champion in 2021 with a first-round stoppage of Nick Webb before capturing British honors with a third-round TKO of Nathan Gorman last November. He is coming off a fourth-round TKO over Michael Coffie in April.

Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), from London, is the current WBO European champion, having won his maiden professional title by defeating the previously unbeaten Dmytro Bezus at York Hall in February and subsequently stopping Emir Ahmatovic in June.

The Adeleye-Wardley rivalry hit new heights at the Fury-Ngannou press conference in London earlier this month, as the fighters and their camps brawled on the red carpet. The melee left Wardley with cuts above his left eye and under his chin.

“I’ve got a clean bill of health,” Wardley said. “Nothing has changed. I am still feeling strong, moving hard, and hitting new numbers.

“I don’t know how to quantify how my desire to win by knockout has increased after what happened but, yes, substantially. Massively, because I am a professional person and I like to act like a professional, but if you want to go early, then that’s fine, and I am ready to go at any minute.

“When those situations occur, all it does is fuel the fire more. All you have done is made it worse for yourself. You’ve made me train harder, you’ve made me work for it more, you’ve made me want it more.”

Adeleye said, “I’m really looking forward to competing on the global stage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Everywhere I go, people are talking about this fight. I intend to put on a show and display why I’m the best young heavyweight out there.”

Parker captured the WBO crown in 2016 with a points triumph over future champion Andy Ruiz Jr. in Auckland. He made two title defenses before an unsuccessful unification fight against Anthony Joshua in 2018. He won the WBO Intercontinental championship in May 2021 with a decision victory over Derek Chisora, making a successful defense against the Chisora seven months later.

Parker lost a bid for the WBO Interim world title against Joe Joyce last September, but he has enjoyed a successful 2023 with wins over Jack Massey and Faiga Opelu. Kean won the WBC International Silver championship in 2019 with a defeat of former world champion Siarhei Liakhovich, making a successful defense against Daniel Martz the following year. He has won eight straight via the short route, most recently notching a seventh-round stoppage over Eric Molina in March.

Parker said, “I’m looking forward to being back in Saudi Arabia. It was great the last time I was there to support another fighter and boxing event. This time I’m going to take care of business in my own fight against a tough challenge in Simon Kean. It is fantastic to be on this card and to be part of this major event. My preparations are on point. There is not long to go now.”

Kean said, “This is the moment all fighters dream of their whole career. This is what I’ve been working for and asking for. It’s time to deliver.”

Makhmudov won the WBC Continental Americas strap in 2019, becoming the first man to stop Jonnie Rice. He went on to win the NABF and NABO belts with a slew of wins over notable opponents, including Pavel Sour, Erkan Teper and Mariusz Wach. Makhmudov had a triumphant United States debut in July, obliterating Raphael Akpejiori in two rounds. Smakici challenged for the vacant European title in his last fight, but he suffered a loss to the undefeated Agit Kabayel. The Croatian’s only other setback came against then-unbeaten Zhan Kossobutskiy in 2019.

Makhmudov said, “Saudi Arabia is a very special place for me. It’s always been my goal to fight there, so I’m grateful to have this opportunity. I’m looking forward to putting on a great show.”

Fury: ‘As soon as that bell goes, it’ll be bombs away’

July 11, 2023July 12, 2023UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Undefeated Lineal and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will battle the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Saturday, October 28th, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The clash will take place under the official rules of professional boxing, with three judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system.

“As soon as that bell goes, it’ll be bombs away!” the 34-year-old Fury said in a statement announcing the fight. “This guy is supposed to be the hardest puncher in the world, but let’s see how he reacts when he gets hit by the Big GK. I can’t wait to get back out there under the lights. 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. Francis looked tough when he jumped in the ring after the Whyte fight, but there is no one tougher than me, and you’ll all see that in devastating fashion on October 28.”

Ngannou, 36, said fighting Fury is a dream come true.

“I’ve been waiting to meet Tyson in the ring for the past three years,” Ngannou said. “My dream was always to box and to box the best. 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. I’d like to thank Riyadh Season and my team at 3Point0 Labs for helping put this event together. All I will say to Tyson, for now, is he better dance in that ring because if I touch him, he’s going to sleep.”

The last time we saw Fury in the ring was in December when he defeated Derek Chisora for a third time via a 10th-round stoppage in what represented a third defense of his WBC world championship.

Regarding Ngannou, he defended his title against the undefeated interim UFC Champion Ciryl Gane in January 2022, winning the fight via unanimous decision, all while fighting on a torn ACL and MCL against doctors’ guidance.

In late 2022, Ngannou decided to enter free agency and departed the UFC following the end of his contract, subsequently signing an unprecedented mega-deal as a global strategic partner with global MMA co-leader Professional Fighters League (PFL) and their Super Fights Division in 2023, further serving as the Chairman of PFL Africa, set to launch in 2025.