Tyson Fury couldn’t hide the embarrassment from his face as the heavyweight champion attempted to face off for his Saturday night event.
“The Gypsy King” walked forward for the head-to-head with MMA star Francis Ngannou. However, as he did so, he was flanked by his outspoken father.
To compound the farce, both were shirtless and were labeled Stavros Flatley by some viewers on social media. It’s not the ideal scenario for a headline Pay Per View organizers want to be taken seriously.
After completely pre-weigh-in formalities, Fury and Ngannou get ready to lock horns at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Discussing the task before his dad called out Mike Tyson and got all up in his business, Fury promised a knockout ending.
Tyson Fury aims for knockout
“It’s absolutely unbelievable to be out here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Fury. “To be top of the bill, the main event is even more special.
“We’ve all got a lot to be thankful for. We’ve all come a long way to be here. This has all happened in a short space of time. And to see it all unfold is really amazing.”
On the man standing in front of him, Fury added: “Francis Ngannou is a big man. I see he’s taken some advice from me with the clothes he’s wearing. He’s looking a bit snazzy.
“They say the finest form of flattery is imitation. And he’s got his suit on with no shirt on, and I started that!
“So, he’s imitating. But there’s one thing I say: many will imitate, but no one will ever replicate. Because there’s only one Gypsy King.”
Addressing his preparations to trade with a powerful but boxing novice, Fury concluded: “How do I prepare for a guy like this? It’s pretty difficult, but in America, we say a statement like this, ‘I’m gonna knock a MF out!’
“And that’s how we do it. I’ve been working with SugarHill {Steward} to knock him out cold on Saturday night, and I do not doubt in my mind that I will knock him out.
“He’s a big, strong guy. Obviously, he’s got a good punch. But so am I. I’m a big, strong guy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be the world heavyweight champion.
“But I believe there are levels to the game. And he’s going to find out my level on Saturday night.”
Fury vs Ngannou information
The pay-per-view undercard, an all-heavyweight affair, features a 12-round showdown between undefeated British standouts Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) and David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KOs), along with a 10-round battle 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 take on the upset-minded Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round clash, 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).
Furthermore, 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.
