The crossover boxing scene takes on the heavyweight division as WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) and former UFC standout Francis Ngannou (17-3, 12 KOs in MMA) will square off live from Saudi Arabia. Fury-Ngannou will stream on ESPN+ PPV on Saturday, October 28, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
“The Gypsy King” makes his first fight appearance in 2023, fresh off a 10th-round TKO win over Derek Chisora last December. It marked his third successful WBC heavyweight title defense and his 4th-straight knockout win. He has a shot at unification, with a December date projected against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Ngannou is set for his boxing debut and comes in after stalled contract negotiations with the UFC pushed him to sign with the Professional Fighters League. It was quite the chess move and he has been rewarded. Ngannou is now an equity shareholder in the PFL Africa and stands on the advisory board to advocate for fighters’ interests.
With that being said let’s take a look at some odds and make a prediction for Saturday’s bout.
Fight Odds
Fury is a -1400 betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. Ngannou is the underdog at +750 odds. The favored method of victory is Fury by KO (-550).
Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou heavyweight bout prediction
This has billing to be one of the more premier crossover fights to date, as rarely do you have two fighters in their relative primes. Fury cannot overlook Ngannou in favor of his December bout with Usyk. Ngannou has real power and won 12 fights by KO in the octagon. Combined with Mike Tyson’s expertise, despite it being an exhibition, “The Predator” is looking to send a message to the fight world.
However, Fury comes in with a complete skillset and one of the strongest chin’s you’ll ever see. With Ngannou’s last bout coming in January 2022 and it being a UFC fight, Fury will use this to his advantage. It’ll also be Ngannou’s first time donning 10 oz boxing gloves and fighting more than 5 rounds. In terms of match up, it won’t be Mayweather-McGregor or even Paul-Diaz, but expect Fury to get things done rather quickly. Ngannou has a punchers chance, but I like Fury to win by KO no later than round 4.