Boxing match between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury set for October

Some major breaking news in the world of boxing and MMA this morning. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger was the first to break the news that lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1) will be taking on lineal UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA).

The boxing match is set to take place on October 28th. Ariel Helwani reported over the past few days that the matchup was getting close, but everything has been signed, sealed, and delivered. Coppinger said that it is not clear whether or not Fury’s WBC heavyweight championship will be on the line.

While rounds and rules are net set yet, it’s supposedly a traditional boxing matchup between the two heavyweights. This is the bout that Francis Ngannou so desperately wanted and now he is getting his wish as he’s taking on Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Boxing Match Set

Francis Ngannou left the UFC earlier this year after failing to come to terms on a new contract. Ngannou was the heavyweight champion, but he wanted a contract that would allow him the freedom to pursue boxing matches in addition to fighting inside the octagon. There were a number of other issues that hindered the deal from coming together.

Ngannou would go on to sign a deal with the PFL for MMA, but the deal was exclusive to MMA. He still had the freedom to pursue boxing matchups and the one he wanted all along was with Tyson Fury. There had been a lot of talks regarding Tyson Fury having a match with Oleksandr Usyk for all the titles.

However, when that fell through, momentum started to build for the Ngannou fight and now, it’s a reality.