The weights are in: Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou have taken to the scales in Saudi Arabia and, as expected, both giants came in at a hefty poundage. WBC heavyweight champ Fury (belt not on the line tomorrow night) came in at a fraction above 277 pounds. Former UFC heavyweight champ Ngannou, looking ripped as hell, came in at a fraction above 272 pounds.The fight will be live on ESPN+ PPV and TNT Sports.
The two men left the scale, then engaged in some sort of chest-bumping activity, with the two men also exchanging a few words. The hype is in full swing, in fact it has been for some time. In the house for this fight are boxing legends such as, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Mike Tyson (who is of course Ngannou’s co-trainer for this one), Lennox Lewis and others.
It’s big. But will it be a competitive fight on the night?
Ngannou, who seemingly cannot stop smiling, “living the dream” as he says he is, remains full of confidence. Fury cannot stop slinging out insults, not only at Ngannou, but also at Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and anyone else who he might, one day, we hope, fight in the ring. In the meantime, as Fury said today after the weigh-in, this fight is “like a tennis table champion facing [Novak] Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.”
Indeed, we have seen comparisons such as this one before. So the question is, why is anyone paying to see this mismatch? Why are all the boxing greats in town for this one?
Maybe because Fury’s fans want to see the KO he has promised.
“We’re only talking about tomorrow and that’s it. We’re not talking about any other prick in this world – we’re talking about Francis Ngannou tomorrow night,” Fury said today. “I’m gonna knock the muthaf****r out, and then, I’m gonna take a week off, I don’t want to hear from any of you guys about boxing. Let me have some time with my family, then I’ll come and take on the little guy, and knock him out. Yes, I need to apologise, if there’s anybody out there who doesn’t like my language, get the f**k out that door!”
Classy as always, and to heck if kids might be watching. Still, as Fury says, if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Plenty of fans have taken this very attitude, and will not watch tomorrow’s ‘event.’ While plenty of other people will tune in, and they will pay to do so.
Like it or not, events such as these are not going anywhere. Neither is Tyson Fury, who will do very badly to take even one solid blow from Ngannou. It will be Fury’s show. Just the way he likes it.
(Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
• Tyson Fury 277.7 lbs. vs. Francis Ngannou 272.1 lbs
(Heavyweight – 10 Rounds)
• Fabio Wardley 241 lbs vs. David Adeleye 232lbs
(Heavyweight — 12 Rounds)
• Joseph Parker 250.1 lbs vs. Simon Kean 255.1 lbs
(Heavyweight — 10 Rounds)
• Arslanbek Makhmudov 260 lbs vs. Junior Anthony Wright 229.5 lbs
(Heavyweight — 10 Rounds)
• Moses Itauma 236.1 lbs vs. Istvan Bernath 257.1 lbs
(Heavyweight — 6 Rounds)
