B/R Exclusive: Tyson Fury Tells Critics 'Don't Watch' Fight vs. Francis Ngannou

Make no mistake: Tyson Fury hears it.

Loud and clear, in fact.

The consensus king of boxing's heavyweight division is quite aware that fans and media members are labeling his imminent in-ring engagement with ex-UFC heavyweight ruler Francis Ngannou as little more than a legalized bank heist in the Saudi desert.

Ngannou, after all, has never boxed professionally and was steered toward mixed martial arts after a would-be trainer in Paris suggested he'd never make a living in 10-ounce gloves. And his opponent, Fury, is an unbeaten champion who's handled each of the 30 men he's faced in a 15-year run.

So, no. The shade being thrown on the fight is no surprise for the Gypsy King.

He just doesn't care.

"If they don't like the idea, I don't give a f--k. Then don't watch it," Fury told Bleacher Report.

"I'm not trying to sell anybody anything. It'll be the two baddest mother f--kers on the planet meeting in the center of a ring and someone is going to get knocked spark out.

"To me, that's entertainment."

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That's the calculation being made by the organizers of Riyadh Season, an annual festival launched in 2019 that falls during winter in the Saudi Arabian capital and has featured concerts, dining experiences and cultural events. This year's version kicks off October 28 with an opening ceremony and the fight, which is set for 10 rounds at a venue that's still to be announced.

Fury has never boxed in Saudi Arabia, but he did "entertain" at the inaugural Riyadh Season as part of the WWE's Crown Jewel event—defeating wrestler Braun Strowman in an eight-minute bout before taking a post-match body slam in the center of the ring.

The 10-point must system and a full slate of boxing rules will be in place this year against Ngannou, though it doesn't appear Fury's traditional WBC title will be at stake.

Instead, a trinket called the "Riyadh Commemorative Belt" has been commissioned, the 10-round distance is two off the typical championship limit for men's fights, and there are no references to the upcoming event on the sanctioning body's calendar.

No matter, Fury insists, he'll still be ready for full-fledged combat.

"I'm coming to take the guy's head off, and he'll be coming for mine. It's a fight," he said. "I'm not out there to dance around for a bunch of rounds. I don't get paid extra for overtime."

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In fact, he's not gone 12 rounds in four fights since his first Saudi trip, stopping Deontay Wilder in seven to win the WBC title four months later and following up with defenses against Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora that have gone a combined 27 rounds.

Ngannou is no fan of long fights either, having ended all but one of his 17 MMA wins—12 by KO, four by submission—before the final horn. Eight of the KOs came in Round 1, with the others arriving in Round 2, and his power was termed by UFC boss Dana White as "equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can, and it's more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full-force overhead."

Impressive stuff.

But if you're expecting Fury to genuflect, don't hold your breath waiting.

"Zero hesitation," he said. "I walked right toward Wilder, took his best shots and knocked him out. I've knocked out the others, too. I'm ready to take [Ngannou's] shots.

"We'll see if he's ready to take mine."

And guess what?

Assuming the latter answer is no, and Fury emerges with both consciousness and record intact, he isn't quite finished with an apparent quest to knock down traditional combat sports barriers.

Asked what fight he'd make if it could be done with a snap of the fingers, he had zero hesitation.

But it wasn't a unification with Oleksandr Usyk or a U.K. slugfest with fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

"Jon Jones," Fury said, with no hint of sarcasm or kidding.

Yes. That Jon Jones.

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The one with 11 title defenses across two reigns as the UFC's light heavyweight king before he left for three years, added more than 40 pounds and returned to pick up the vacant heavyweight belt that Ngannou left behind when his philosophical differences with White became irreconcilable.

The one atop the UFC's current pound-for-pound list.

And the one widely considered the best mixed martial artist in the sport's history.

But before you ask why, don't bother.

Fury's got his reasons.

"Why not?" he said.

"After I take out the guy everyone says is the toughest out there, it makes sense that I'd go after the next guy, right? It's all about entertainment and giving the people what they want. I'm the only heavyweight boxer. I'm the only boxer, period, that could pull this off.

"So why not challenge myself to do something that'll [go] down in history?"