The so-called “Battle of the Baddest” will see boxing champion Tyson Fury take on MMA great Francis Ngannou in a spectacle featuring two fighters at the top of their fields.
It will mark former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou’s first boxing bout – and he’s starting against a man considered by many to be the best of his weight class in undefeated lineal and WBC heavyweight champion Fury.
The highly anticipated 10-round showdown is a non-title fight, yet Fury claims there is more on the line for him now than in any of his previous battles.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fight.
When and where is it?
Fury and Ngannou will face off on Saturday 28 October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with undercard coverage starting at 6pm UK time.
The main event ring walks are expected to start at roughly 10.40pm.
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Who’s on the undercard?
Another major clash is due to take place at the show, between Fabio Wardley (16-0) and David Adeleye (12-0) for the British heavyweight title. Former WBO heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker will also take on Canada’s Simon Kean.
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The rest of the fights expected on the undercard are:
Arslanbek Makhmudov v Junior Anthony Wright; Heavyweight
Moses Itauma v Istvan Bernath; Heavyweight
Carlos Takam v Martin Bakole; Heavyweight
Jack McGann v Alcibiade Duran Galvan; Super welterweight
About the fighters
Anyone with even a marginal interest in the sport will be familiar with the self-proclaimed “Gypsy King”, Tyson Fury.
The six-foot-nine heavyweight, who has a record of 33-0-1 (24 KOs), briefly became unified heavyweight champion in 2015, when he toppled longstanding holder Wladimir Klitschko.
He was later stripped of two of those titles and vacated the three others during a period in which he suffered from mental health issues leading to alcoholism, recreational drug use and extreme weight gain.
But he went on to compete in one of the great ever boxing trilogies, against American Deontay Wilder, winning the WBC title back in the second of those bouts.
The 35-year-old more recently beat Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora in front of record-breaking crowds in London.
Cameroonian-French Ngannou reached similar heights in his UFC career, knocking out one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC history, Stipe Miocic, in 2021 to become the UFC’s first-ever heavyweight champion from Africa.
The 37-year-old was stripped of the title after leaving the UFC in January, having failed to agree terms on a new contract.
He has not fought since he defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision at UFC 270 in January 2022.
That win was Ngannou’s sixth in a row, adding to his record of 17-3-0.
While he will be dismissed by many as a boxing novice, the six-foot-four, 280-pound fighter is no stranger to the ring, having trained as a boxer for years before making it in MMA.
Heavyweight boxing icon Mike Tyson is training him up for the encounter.
Image: Mike Tyson watches as Francis Ngannou trains with Dewey Cooper at a private gym in Las Vegas
Why the cross-over?
While Ngannou is far from a nobody, he certainly would not have been the first opponent fans thought of when Fury was looking for his next challenge after beating Dereck Chisora last December by technical knockout.
But the fight was sanctioned by the WBC after Fury’s efforts to make an undisputed championship fight with Oleksandr Usyk, the of the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, failed.
There was also speculation around fights with contenders such as Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz before he agreed to the cross-over bout with Ngannou.
While both boxers have insisted it is not the case, some have speculated the money they will receive has been the deciding factor – with claims Ngannou coud earn more than £8m and Fury reported picking up £39m.
Fury’s next fight did not exactly come from nowhere, though. Straight after knocking out Dillian Whyte in April 2022, he pulled Ngannou into a post-fight interview in the ring.
He promised an “explosive fight” with Ngannou, who was UFC champion at that point.
The MMA fighter was receptive to the idea, although he clearly had different plans for the nature of the fight.
“It’s going to be a hybrid fight with different type of rules – you know, MMA gloves… like a mix-up… something a little different,” Ngannou said in the ring, as Fury nodded in apparent agreement.
The “hybrid” pitch never panned out, and it was later confirmed that the fight would take place under the official rules of professional boxing.
TNT Sports will be showing the fight live on its pay-per-view service in the UK and Ireland.
Sky customers can purchase TNT Sports Box Office on channel 490 via their remote control or via www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports
Streaming service DAZN will be making the fight available on a pay-per-view basis in over 200 other countries.
What have Fury and Ngannou said?
Image: Tyson Fury jokes about his weight during a face-off with Francis Ngannou. Pic: Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Fury has been quick to dismiss suggestions that he can take this fight lightly due to his opponent’s lack of experience in the boxing ring, claiming there’s “more riding on this than there ever has been before.”
In a press conference last month, he said: “I only trained six weeks for Deontay Wilder – I’m training 12 weeks for Francis. I need to be on my A-game, because there’s more on the line now than a boxing fight.
“If I lose to a number one contender or another champion, then people would say, ‘oh, he lost to another champion.’
“But if I lost to an MMA guy, I’m never going to be able to show my face in public again. There’s going to be ridicule and people are going to chuck it in my face forever.
“There’s more riding on this than there ever has been before.
“Whether the media wants to take it as a joke or not, make no mistake, Tyson Fury will leave no stone unturned and I will come in at my fittest and strongest I’ve ever been to beat this man.
“If I’m not, and I get knocked out, I want you all to laugh at me. That’s what I want, because I would’ve deserved it.
“The man’s a machine and I’ll give 100% respect.”
“I’m very excited and happy,” Ngannou said. “I had a dream as a kid to become a boxer, and now I’m going to box a guy at the peak of the mountain.
“For me, usually I would not pay attention to what’s going on around me, but this is so big that I can’t stop thinking about it.
“History is about to be made in Riyadh on October 28. It’s something that I didn’t see coming, although my dream was that someday it would happen.
“It’s not just going to be a fight, we’re opening up Riyadh Season, so it’s a cultural event that we’re fighting in.
“Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen, but what I do know for sure is that I’m going to be out there hunting for this guy’s head to take it off, I guarantee you that.”
‘I’d like to fight Ngannou in the cage’
Fury has also backed himself to beat Ngannou at his own game, in a future MMA fight.
“I’d like to fight Ngannou in the cage; I think I’d beat him for sure,” he said.
“He’s not a good jiu-jitsu man, he’s not a good wrestler. He’s known for striking and I’m a better striker than him. I’d knock him out in seconds. He’s more of a stand-up striker.”
A criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of Kneecap and Bob Vylan.
Police announced the decision on Monday afternoon after reviewing video footage and audio of both sets, which took place on Saturday.
It comes after the BBC said it regretted the decision not to pull the live stream for Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance, during which frontman Bobby Vylan shouted anti-IDF (Israel Defence Forces) chants.
Later on Monday, as the story had made headlines throughout the day, drummer Bobbie Vylan released a video statement on Instagram, saying politicians who have spent time criticising the band should be “utterly ashamed” for giving “room” to this over other issues.
He also addressed what was said on stage, saying: “Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don’t let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people.”
Image: Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said that after reviewing footage of both performances, further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken.
“A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation,” a spokesperson said. “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.”
The force said the investigation will be “evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”.
“We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling,” it added. “There is absolutely no place in society for hate.”
What happened?
Image: Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Yui Mok/PA Wire
During Bob Vylan’s set, the duo performed in front of a screen that showed several messages, including one that said Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “genocide”.
Bobby Vylan also led chants of “death to the IDF”.
The set was live streamed by the BBC as part of its Glastonbury coverage, but has not been made available on demand.
Politicians including the prime minister have criticised the performance. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants “crossed a line” and that there was no place at the festival for “antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence”.
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster respected freedom of expression “but stands firmly against incitement to violence”.
They added: “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves…
“The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
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What’s the Glastonbury controversy?
Media watchdog Ofcom said it was in talks with the BBC and that the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer” over the stream.
Irish-language rap trio Kneecap were on stage afterwards. Before their appearance at the festival, there had been calls for Glastonbury to remove them from the bill – as rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh (who performs as Mo Chara) is facing a terror charge, accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah at a gig in London last November.
Glastonbury organisers kept them on the line-up, but the BBC chose not to stream their set live. An edited version was later made available on demand.
On stage, the band led chants of “f*** Keir Starmer”.
O hAnnaidh’s bandmate Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) said they would “start a riot outside the courts” for O hAnnaidh’s next appearance, before clarifying: “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
Hundreds of people turned out in protest for his first court appearance earlier this month.
After the police investigation was announced, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised the “appalling and unacceptable” scenes at Glastonbury and said the government would not tolerate antisemitism.
She said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan’s set to find out why it had aired, and why the feed had not been cut.
“I expect answers to these questions without delay,” she said.
Ms Nandy said she had spoken to members of the Jewish community, including attendees at Glastonbury, who said they were concerned by imagery and slogans and ended up creating their own “safe space”.
Christopher Landau, the US deputy secretary of state, said the band had been banned from the US ahead of a tour later this year due to their “hateful tirade” at the festival.
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Bob Vylan were set to perform in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the autumn. They are due to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and Boardmasters, a surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August.
Sharing a statement on Instagram after the Glastonbury set, Bobby Vylan said: “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.
“As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
The war in Gaza, which has continued for more than 18 months, began after Hamas militants launched attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed around 56,500 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
An inquest has found drag queen The Vivienne did not intend to take their life when they died after taking ketamine.
Coroner Jacqueline Devonish concluded The Vivienne, whose real name is James Lee Williams, died by “misadventure” after suffering cardio respiratory arrest.
In March, the star’s family revealed the performer had died “from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest”, saying they wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug.
Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard five drug snap bags were found, including in a bedroom draw and a bin in the bathroom, in their home in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester.
Police attended and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.
The inquest heard friends and family had no worries about Williams’s mental health and the performer was looking forward to future roles on TV and in the theatre, although did “occasionally” take ketamine.
The star’s family told the hearing the performer should not be remembered for their use of the Class B drug and that drugs did not define the person they were.
Williams’s father Lee Williams described them as “an outgoing character who was full of life” and “just wanted to make people laugh”.
“He achieved his goals. He had future goals he wanted to achieve. Along the way he always wanted to try to help his community, which he did and try to help other drag queens,” he said.
“He was always available. He never turned anybody down. He never turned his back on anybody. He never said no.
“He loved the stage, that’s where he saw the rest of his career being, on the stage, in the theatre. That’s what he loved to do.”
Williams’s funeral in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, North Wales, was attended by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants Tia Kofi and Baga Chipz, along with Steps singer Ian “H” Watkins, TV personality Kim Woodburn and Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney.
Image: The Vivienne at the premiere of the film ‘Wicked’ in November 2024. Pic: AP
During their time on the show, under their drag name, Williams admitted having been a drug addict for four years.
“It was party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party, it was constant for me,” they said.
They added that their addiction was a “habit that caught on a bit too quick and a bit too hard”.
The TV personality, who grew up in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, before moving to Liverpool, came third in the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.
The star performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year.
They were due back on stage in March as the Childcatcher in a tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a role they first played last year.
The government is seeking expert advice after illegal use of ketamine surged to record levels.
In the year ending March 2023, an estimated 299,000 people aged 16 to 59 had reported use of the substance, which is controlled as class B, according to the Home Office.
At their Glastonbury set on Saturday, punk-rap duo Bob Vylan’s singer led chants of “death, death to the IDF”.
The chants have been labelled antisemitic by the BBC and the organisation has since apologised for airing the performance.
But shadow home secretary Chris Philp has called for the broadcaster to be prosecuted, saying it “should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict”.
Avon and Somerset Police has now launched a criminal investigation into the Glastonbury performances of Bob Vylan and Kneecap.
What should the BBC have done – and will the corporation face prosecution?
Host Sarah-Jane Mee speaks to Channel Four’s former head of news and current affairs, Dorothy Byrne, to understand what the BBC should have done differently. She also speaks to legal expert Joshua Rozenberg about whether Bob Vylan’s performance constitutes a hate crime and if the BBC may be prosecuted for broadcasting it.