WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman believes Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou will be a "huge" event like Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor
Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou is set to be one of the biggest crossover events in the history of combat sports, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has given his prediction for the fight.
Sulaiman believes the event will enjoy similar success to the record-breaking crossover fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Mayweather and McGregor broke PPV records and was one of the biggest fights in recent history. In an interview with Gambling.com, Sulaiman stated that crossover fights elevate the sport to a different level:
"I love the event (between Fury and Francis Ngannou). Those crossover events are giving the sport respect and doing it within the rules of boxing. Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather was a huge event and so will this. We are fine, respectful, and supporting our champion"
Fury was supposed to defend his WBC heavyweight title against a challenger or vacate the belt. However, since he signed to fight Ngannou, the WBC decided not to dethrone him and sanctioned his fight against the former UFC heavyweight champion. Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou will take place on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has been a host to many big boxing events and the trend is set to continue as Fury and Ngannou are all set to square off in Riyadh.
Israel Adesanya says he will be there to witness history at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is good friends with Francis Ngannou and has given his opinion on the Fury-Ngannou matchup. 'The Predator' will step into the boxing ring for the first time as a professional boxer against a man who is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. When asked about the fight, Adesanya had this to say:
"When I saw it on Instagram the first thing I did was WhatsApp him, I was like, I'm going to be there to witness history. As soon as it was mentioned, the fight was happening, I texted, I was like, 'We're going'. And a week later, they already invited me, the Sheikhs in Saudi Arabia invited me to come through."
Take a look at the interview:
Israel Adesanya showered Francis Ngannou with praise as he declared that the former UFC champion is 'leading the charge.' He also went on to add that nothing intimidates him after what he has gone through in life.