Tyson Fury to face Francis Ngannou in exhibition bout, Eddie Hearn says

‘NOT **** SPINNING A NARRATIVE’ – EDDIE HEARN HITS BACK AT FRANK WARREN, FURY v NGANNOU, SMITH KO

Tyson Fury is fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in an exhibition bout, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Unfortunately, the highly anticipated world title showdown between Fury and reigning WBO, IBF, IBO and WBA champion Oleksandr Usyk will not take place. Frank Warren, Fury’s U.K. co-promoter, confirmed this development last Thursday after talks between Fury and the Ukrainian boxer faltered in recent months.

Instead, Hearn — also Anthony Joshua’s promoter — spilled a “game-changer” fight against Ngannou. Previously, rumors had been going around on social media, but Hearn was the first to confirm them.

“It will be an exhibition apparently, no knockdowns or anything,” said Hearn in an interview with Boxing Social.

Hearn found the idea “disappointing” since he had expected the 34-year-old Fury to fight Usyk. However, he admitted it would be a big event nonetheless.

“It’d be nice to get an undisputed champion, but Tyson’s in charge of his own career and I’m sure he’s gonna make a load of money, good luck to him,” said Hearn.

Fight prospect between Fury and Ngannou

The two fighters had been discussing the idea of a fight since early 2022, but the UFC blocked the contest. However, the fight became a possibility as Ngannou left the UFC due to failure to reach an agreement to a new contract that would have allowed him to foray into boxing.

Fury is the current and undisputed WBC heavyweight champion. He has an unbeaten professional boxing record of 33-0-1. His most recent fight was a dominant win over rival Derek Chisora, whom he defeated by TKO in the tenth round in London in December.

Meanwhile, Ngannou signed a multi-fight deal with the rivaling Professional Fighters League (PFL). With this new contract, he will return to MMA in the first quarter of 2024, on top of being allowed to compete in pro boxing.

The French-Cameroonian had a record of 17-3. However, his last fight was over a year ago at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, which ended in a unanimous decision victory for Ngannou.

There is no further detail about the boxing bout yet, but Hearn said fans could expect more information in the coming weeks.