![Francis Ngannou (left) Tyson Fury (right) [Image courtesy @tysonfury @francisngannou on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/8affa-16941695415172-1920.jpg)
![Francis Ngannou (left) Tyson Fury (right) [Image courtesy @tysonfury @francisngannou on Instagram]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has already beaten many of the best boxers in his weight class. Despite all his laurels, 'The Gypsy King' sees his upcoming bout against former UFC heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou as a big moment in his fighting career.
The 35-year-old Brit is scheduled to lock horns with the 'The Predator' on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Although most fans and critics peg the WBC champion as a massive favorite for the fight, 'The Gypsy King' believes a well-placed punch can put an end to any bout. This fear of facing a humiliating knockout has fueled the boxing great to train harder for this contest than his title fights against Deontay Wilder.
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Talking about the upcoming matchup during a press conference in London, Fury explained why the stakes are colossal for him against Ngannou, emphasizing that a loss in Riyadh would be catastrophic for his career:
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"I need to be on my 'A' game because there’s more on the line now than a boxing fight. You know, if I lose to a No.1 contender, another champion, it’s like, 'Well, he lost to a champion, whatever.' But if I lose to an MMA guy, I’m never gonna be able to show my face in public again. It’s gonna be ridicule. People are gonna chuck it at me forever. So, there’s more riding on this than there ever has been before."
Catch Tyson Fury's comments below (28:00):
What belt is on the line for Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury?
While the WBC heavyweight title is not on the line for the superfight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, another special belt has been minted for the occasion.
World Boxing Council has come up with a special belt called 'The Riyadh Champion' belt for the heavyweight clash.
Tyson Fury holds a record of 33-0-1. With wins against the likes of former WBC champion Deontay Wilder and former unified champion Wladimir Klitschko, 'The Gypsy King' has positioned himself as one of the best heavyweight boxers ever.
While Ngannou's laurels in MMA are also impressive, with wins over greats like Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, and Junior dos Santos, he is yet to box professionally.
