RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Oct. 25, 2023) – WBC & lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury, lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou, and undercard combatants hosted their public workouts today ahead of The Battle of The Baddest 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.
Promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank and GIMIK Fight Promotions, the Fury-Ngannou card will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV in the United States beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Priced at $79.99 across all distributors, it also will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.
The pay-per-view undercard will be an all-heavyweight affair and will feature a 12-round showdown between undefeated British standouts Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs) and 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).
This is what Fury and Ngannou had to say after their respective workouts:
Tyson Fury
“I showed the best version of me, and if he can deal with that, best of luck to him.”
“I was in there floating like a butterfly. Nineteen stone, can you believe that? And 6-foot-9. And moving like that! That’s shocking. It’s not fair, really!”
“It’s happening. He’s the bull, I’m the matador! 99.999 percent of the time, the matador wins!”
“Francis Ngannou is a big, fat sausage. That’s why he won’t take his top off. He’s embarrassed of his body. If it was up to Francis, he’d fight with his t-shirt on. Facts!
Francis Ngannou
“To be honest, I haven’t gotten any respect from the boxing community, so I am not expecting anybody to respect me. I think I need to claim my own respect. Respect is not given. You don’t just walk out there and demand people to respect you for no reason. I think respect is earned, whether it’s the boxing community or life in general.”
“Yes, I am going to fight, and if that big shot comes, it comes. If it doesn’t come, I really intend to fight properly.”
“Anything is possible. It’s possible. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. In fact, see how we are talking about Tyson Fury? Who would’ve believed that a couple years ago?
“I was having fun. I almost wanted to just dance. Then I realized that I would show them my dance skills. And I was like, ‘nah, I don’t have any!””
Saturday, October 28
Top Rank on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, 10 rounds, heavyweight
Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye, 12 rounds, heavyweight
Joseph Parker vs. Simon Kean, 10 rounds, heavyweight
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright, 10 rounds, heavyweight
Moses Itauma vs. Istvan Bernath, 6 rounds, heavyweight
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About Riyadh Season:
Saudi Arabia’s capital embraces one of the world’s biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and other unique cultural events. In 2023, Riyadh Season will commence on Saturday, 28 October with a spectacular opening ceremony and an historic boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.
