Saudi Arabia Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury will receive the biggest payday of his career when he takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou today.
According to British newspaper Sunsport , Fury has reached a deal for three fights in Saudi Arabia worth $200 million. Of which, the British boxer will receive $80 million for his first fight in the Middle Eastern country with Ngannou today, October 28.
This is the biggest payday for a fight in Fury's career, far surpassing the $31.5 million he received when he knocked out 35-year-old compatriot Dillian Whyte in April 2022.
Meanwhile, Ngannou is expected to pocket at least $10 million from his fight in Saudi Arabia today, more than doubling his UFC career earnings. According to MMA Salaries , the Cameroonian fighter's total MMA earnings are $3.7 million. Of that, he earned the biggest sum - $580,000 - when he defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to win the UFC heavyweight title.
Fury (left) and Ngannou face off at the weigh-in on December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: AFP
Fury will then have two fights to unify the most prestigious heavyweight titles with Oleksandr Usyk. The two sides have reportedly signed a deal, with the first fight taking place in December 2023 with a rematch in 2024. Fury currently holds the WBC heavyweight title, while Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. According to Sunsport , Fury will pocket $60 million for each fight with the Ukrainian.
However, the amount of money that Fury earned from three fights in Saudi Arabia is still far behind the legendary Floyd Mayweather. The "undefeated" American earned more than 700 million USD from two victories over Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor. Mayweather topped Forbes' list of richest athletes of the decade in 2019 with 856 million USD earned during his illustrious boxing career.
On December 27, Fury and Ngannou met before the fight during the weigh-in procedure. Accordingly, the British boxer weighed 125.9kg, 4kg more than in his last match, when he won Derek Chisora by technical knockout in London in December 2022. Ngannou was lighter, at 123.4kg.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Fury declared. “I’m going to smash this big fat sausage for dinner on Saturday, regardless of how much it weighs. Ngannou is like a table tennis player trying to challenge Novak Djokovic in tennis.”
The fight between Fury and Ngannou will take place under official professional boxing rules with 10 rounds and three judges using a 10-point scoring system. However, Fury will not lose the WBC belt if he loses. He said today's fight is to find out who will take over the legendary Mike Tyson's old nickname of "Baddest Man on the Planet".
Fury shows off his WBC belt at the weigh-in on October 27. Photo: Reuters
Many celebrities will attend this heavyweight fight, including striker Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian legend Ronaldo de Lima, English football legend Rio Ferdinand, boxer Oleksandr Usyk and legendary rapper Eminem. Mike Tyson has been training Ngannou in the past and will be in the corner of the ring.
Hong Duy
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