Key events
Here’s where things stand with today’s order of play. So far we’ve gone through the very tough pay-per-view undercard:
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Martin Bakole TKO 4 Carlos Takam
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Moses Itauma TKO 1 István Bernáth
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Arslanbek Makhmudov TKO 1 Junior Anthony Wright Jr
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Joseph Parker KO3 Simon Kean
The final preliminary fight has just begun and it’s the best of the crop: a scheduled 12-round clash between undefeated British players Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs).
Foreplay
Hello and welcome to Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena for tonight’s crossover match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. It’s billed as the Battle of the Baddest: a planned ten-round boxing match between the best heavyweight boxer of his generation, undefeated in 34 paying fights, against a former UFC champion with no professional boxing experience who hasn’t fought in nearly two fights. year. It doesn’t take an expert to know how this one will turn out.
But we groundlings like a side hustle and always have, making us susceptible to these kinds of promotional stunts for as long as anyone can remember. There was Ali’s ridiculous fight with Japanese pro wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976, widely considered the most embarrassing moment of the Greatest’s career. There were Jesse Owens’ regrettable competitive races against thoroughbred horses, a humiliating comedown for the Olympic hero who had faced Hitler in Berlin. It was much discussed there 150 meter race between Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson at Toronto’s SkyDome to determine the title of world’s fastest man. And of course Floyd Maywether against Conor McGregor, perhaps the analogy that comes closest to everyday reality.
Contrary to previous reports, tonight’s fight is not a demonstration and is considered an official fight. However, Fury’s WBC heavyweight title is not at stake.
“I need to be on my ‘A’ game because there’s more at stake now than a boxing fight,” Fury said. “If I lose to an MMA guy I’ll never be able to show my face in public again .There will be ridicule and people will throw it in my face forever. There is more to it than ever before.”
We are about an hour away from the main event ring walks. There’s plenty to do between now and then.
Bryan will be here soon. Here’s Donald McRae’s preview of today’s main event.