[crowd cheering]
[yelling]
[reporter] Two worlds are set to collide
here at the Kingdom Arena
in the capital city of Saudi Arabia.
Now MMA meets boxing
as former UFC heavyweight champion
Francis Ngannou takes on the current WBC
and lineal heavyweight champion
of the world Tyson Fury.
Okay. That's enough sleep. Come on now.
[interviewer]
So, where did all of this begin?
[inhales sharply] Um...
Is that all right?
Okay, good. I got you.
- Oh. [grunts]
- [interviewer] Stick you there, John.
- Just about. [chuckles]
- [interviewer chuckles]
Uh, how do I look guys?
You guys got a setup. This is legit.
I've gotta go
'cause I'm doing a film sh**t.
Hey, son. Oh, I just saw you.
[chuckles] My bad.
You guys, uh, room service?
Kinda cool the way you...
I can see you straight through the camera.
I've never seen that before.
Are you ready, boys?
The offer to make Tyson
against Francis came,
and it was an offer
that couldn't be refused at the time.
This fight between Tyson Fury
and Francis Ngannou
has been brewing for a couple of years.
Everyone knows Tyson Fury.
But if you're in mixed martial arts,
everyone knows Francis Ngannou.
As a teenager, Francis wanted to be
heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
You wanna become a boxing world champ.
So you wanna fight the best in the world.
[Cooper] Francis and Tyson Fury were...
were going back and forth on Twitter.
[Martin] Tyson Fury is fighting
at Wembley Stadium.
I called, uh, my buddy Joe and I said,
"Hey, is there any way
you can get us at that fight?"
Do you remember after Tyson Fury
knocked out Dillian Whyte?
Almost done everything
he can do in boxing.
He's won every belt there is to win.
People were asking me,
"What's gonna... What's gonna be next?"
Before we go,
I want to bring in Francis Ngannou.
And there was a man there.
An absolute joy.
- Francis.
- Is this your next fight?
I had no idea that Tyson and Frank Warren
would invite Francis into the ring.
And then you have that iconic moment.
Francis says we're gonna...
Find out who is
the baddest m*therf*cker on the planet.
And that took off for us.
[Martin] If you guys believe
he's the baddest man on the planet,
by b*ating the baddest in MMA,
no one can question you.
Let's make this happen.
Let's make this fight happen. Let's do it.
This is going to be a landmark event.
Changes the trajectory of what's possible
in the game of mixed martial...
In the fight sports.
[Brown] Tyson was contacted
by a friend of his,
he rang him and said,
"Some people want to speak to you."
And then one day we got a call.
Tyson rung me and said, we've got
a meeting tomorrow in Saudi Arabia.
[chuckles] Brilliant.
We're a little bit like,
"What's going on here?"
[Martin] Francis goes out to Saudi
and he calls me.
He said, "Hey, bro.
The guy who took me out to Saudi,
I don't know if he has that much pull.
But I met the guy who is the guy."
And I said, "Really? Who's that?"
He said his name is...
[Brown] Turki Alalshikh.
He was like, "That's the guy."
Who is the baddest man on the planet?
We're gonna find out who it is.
It will be something different.
Something huge.
If Saudi Arabia wanted to put the south
on the map, then this is a great job.
[reporter 1] Good morning, London.
[reporter 2] Another beautiful day
in Las Vegas.
[reporter 3] Some exciting news
for sports fans today.
[reporter 4] If you're a fight fan,
you're going to like this one.
[reporter 5] Breaking news
in the boxing world today
as the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion
of the world, Tyson Fury,
is returning to the ring in Riyadh
in an enormous clash
against one of the greatest
UFC heavyweight champions of all time,
Francis Ngannou.
[reporter 6 speaking in Arabic]
[reporter 7] This is a fight that no one
thought would ever happen,
and it looks like
it's finally coming to fruition.
[reporter 8] The MMA people are saying
that Francis Ngannou could
cause the upset.
The boxing people are saying
that he absolutely has no chance.
Very intriguing.
[reporter 5] The greatest
heavyweight boxer in the world
is about to fight a man
with zero boxing matches on his record.
[reporter 9]
Now, this isn't just a boxing event.
This is kicking off a whole festival.
[reporter 10]
All eyeballs will be on Riyadh.
[reporter 11] Battle of the Baddest
kicks off today in London.
We're in the heart of central London
declaring the Battle of the Baddest is on.
[indistinct dialogue]
When you've got two of the biggest
human beings on the planet
colliding with their fists and dancing
with their feet, people turn and watch
'cause someone's screaming,
"Fight, fight, fight."
And that's what we got.
We got a fight and it's on.
We're gonna see the two men
head-to-head today. Cannot wait.
[Warren] Now I've promoted
Frank Sinatra over the years.
I've been involved with Pavarotti.
I've done all these things.
This is a big promotion.
And I've been doing this
for almost 60 years,
but I've never seen anything like this.
[Fury] This is the biggest event
the world had ever seen.
Saudi's taking over the game, baby.
[Warren] And this event
is their first dip in the water
as far as boxing is concerned,
and they've surpassed anything
I've ever been involved with already.
[Fury] Nice to see so many people
have turned out to see me.
- Thank you very much.
- This is a massive event.
This is the biggest event
I've ever been involved with.
You've got a guy
who's the best in his discipline, UFC,
and you've got the man,
the lineal champion.
Tyson Fury's done everything
you can ask for in a... in a fighter.
It's a blockbuster event.
Let's bring in Tyson Fury at this point
for, uh... for your opening thoughts.
Tyson, uh, fight number 35 for you.
Tell us your thoughts.
Tell us my thoughts.
- Come on.
- f*cking hell. Where should we start here?
We start. Where do we start?
Well, first of all, we start like this.
First of all, I wanna say,
you're one good looking son of a bitch.
Don't you ever die.
I'd say if I was selling Tyson Fury
right now, how would I sell Tyson Fury?
This man has transcended his sport.
This is not small-time.
This is as big as it gets.
Normally, the lineal champion,
the heavyweight champion
is the most famous sportsman
on the planet.
Over the years, you look at the big names.
We talked about Mike Tyson earlier,
Joe Louis, Lennox Lewis, all these guys.
And Tyson's surpassed most of them now.
He's been on Netflix.
He's had three books
all gone to number one
in the best seller list in the UK.
As far as Wembley was concerned last year,
when we made that fight,
that was the fastest selling show
they've ever had.
The world-famous Wembley Stadium.
I'm the best at what I do
because I'm the most elusive
world champion in history.
I don't think anyone can land it on me.
That's a fact.
And if they do, I'll just get back up.
'Cause I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
And that tells you all you need to know
about Tyson Fury.
He's an absolute one-off.
He is the best of his generation by far.
So 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 number one contender,
or 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 ridiculed.
People are gonna chuck it at me forever.
So there's more riding on this
than there ever has been before.
And whether the media
wanna take it as a joke,
or whatever they want to take it as,
make no mistake, Tyson Fury
will leave zero stones unturned.
And I will come in
at me fittest and strongest
and best I've ever been
to defeat this man.
Only an idiot wouldn't train the bollocks
off for somebody like Francis.
It's a huge, huge mountain
we have to climb. Olympian heights.
Fighting a ten-round fight
in his first boxing outing
against the lineal champion
undefeated in the prime of his career
is kind of outrageous
when you just initially think about it.
I mean, people talk about how
Buster Douglas b*ating Mike Tyson
was the biggest upset ever,
but Buster Douglas
was a trained heavyweight boxer
who'd been boxing all of his life.
If Francis Ngannou beats Tyson Fury,
this is the biggest sporting upset.
Sporting, not just boxing,
not just fighting,
sporting upset
in the history of the world, ever.
Just, uh, on Francis Ngannou's power.
As I've said,
you've got the hardest punch in the world.
If it does land, completely clean,
on Tyson Fury, what would happen?
If it does land?
Good night.
I've watched these UFC tapes.
I mean, I have never seen anybody hit
with the power that Francis has.
His power is basically indescribable.
It almost knocks your spirit
out of your body.
[Sahni] His ability
to take people's heads off
with the first couple of punches
in the fight.
It's unlike anything we'd seen
in the heavyweight division before.
When you're fighting Ngannou,
stay away from the punch
because nobody that I know in boxing
hits as hard as Ngannou does.
[Fury stammers] You know how good I move.
- I'm like the matrix in there, baby.
- [Ngannou] Yeah, I know.
- And you know I'm gonna find you.
- I know you can fight,
and I know you can punch hard too.
So, I know it. I'm not underestimating it.
I'm expecting a tough fight.
If it's anything less than a 12...
a ten-round w*r, 12 rounds,
however many rounds it is,
I'll be disappointed.
- People...
- You'll get your w*r.
- We're both being paid a lot of money.
- From the moment that you signed.
- So we can go to w*r.
- We're gonna entertain.
- This is entertainment.
- No doubt about it.
- I'm coming for everything.
- I would kick your ass in a cage.
- No problem.
- No, no. You can't.
One hundred percent. Hundred percent.
Personally,
I'll b*at you in a boxing ring...
- Just focus on Riyadh season...
- ...and then I'll kick you ass in a cage.
...and then we will see after. Focus.
- Focus on boxing for right now.
- [Fury] No... No problem.
Best at boxing,
and I'll b*at him in a cage fight.
I'm going there to fight.
I'll f*cking fight.
It's what we're being paid to do.
[crowd cheering]
[inaudible dialogue]
[reporter 1] It's the who's who
of the world of sport down there.
[reporter 2] You're never gonna get
that amount
of genuine legends and superstars
in sport under one roof.
[camera shutter clicks]
[reporter 3] I'm telling you,
he's the calmest man in the building.
[reporter 1] Cristiano Ronaldo has just
turned up as well as a few other VIPs.
[reporter 1]
Francis Ngannou's gonna step into the ring
and see if he can become
the first man on the planet
to b*at Tyson Fury in a boxing match.
And for Francis Ngannou,
it's been an amazing journey already.
[Tyson] You know what greatness really is?
It's when you can take your life
and change it back around.
[Martin] Francis has been written off
his entire life.
[Adesanya] If you know his story,
a young kid from Cameroon
working in the sand mines.
[Martin]
Imagine how that shapes his mindset.
[Cooper] He's seen a video
of Mike Tyson way back,
wanted to become a boxer.
[Tyson] This guy's just
in a dead situation.
It's up to you
what your future is gonna be.
[Martin] He goes from Cameroon to Nigeria,
to Algeria, to Niger, into Morocco,
trying to get across
the strait of Gibraltar.
[Adesanya] Gets sent back to the desert
to die, like five or six times.
Never gave up, made his way.
[Martin] Gets put in jail
for however many months. Gets released.
Then goes up to Paris where he's homeless.
[Cooper] Obstacle after obstacle,
so many different roadblocks.
[Martin]
Someone said, "Hey, you should try MMA."
[Adesanya] Through the ranks of amateurs.
Went to the UFC. Knocked everybody out.
Took an L to the champ at the time.
[Martin] And he's still having the resolve
to say, "Oh, I'm gonna try again."
[Adesanya] Came back, knocked him out.
[Tyson] Become the UFC
heavyweight champion of the world.
[Martin] By b*ating the greatest
MMA heavyweight of all time.
[Cooper] This is the celebration
of his hard work and dedication.
[Adesanya] Honestly, it just shows
you again, anything's possible.
[Cooper] Francis Ngannou, the Predator,
is coming to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh,
to take the crown.
Now, if you could do that...
You know... [sighs] ...that's big sh*t.
Lakiha!
[chuckles]
The Battle of the Baddest.
[Tyson] For the people
who think Francis has no chance,
I'm a strong believer
that the word "impossible" is nothing.
And I think he's gonna do better
than most people anticipate.
[speaks indistinctly]
[Tyson] I'm not gonna take the punch.
I'm not the trainer
that wears the body bag and all of that.
I teach from a distance.
[Tyson] Incredible. Look at me, I'm with
the greatest fighter in the world.
[chuckling]
Just say this is my...
The beginning of my career.
We can put it that way.
He's the best heavyweight
mixed martial artist in the world.
And Tyson Fury's the best
heavyweight boxer in the world.
But Francis's original goal
was to become a boxer anyway.
Don't say it's love.
Don't say it can't happen.
Don't say any of that.
Watch the fight, October 28.
Then watch history being made.
You know how it's gonna end, KO.
[Tyson]
Keep going through him, punch through him.
Try coming forward more.
Move your body forward. Yeah.
[Tyson] I believe it takes one punch,
but I believe that punch
doesn't have any m*llitary value
if it doesn't land on its target.
So he has to be taught how to land
the punch and how to make it effective.
Do it fast. A little harder.
Faster, harder.
[Ngannou] For this fight,
I'm not training with the MMA mentality.
I'm going out there to box.
I'm training as a boxer.
Francis has the self-belief.
He just needs to know how to navigate it.
When Francis lands that b*mb
on Tyson's chin,
it'll be the biggest upset
in the history of sports.
It's been intense.
It's been extremely intense.
Mike Tyson has been a motivation.
He's been, you know,
bringing the knowledge,
bringing the information.
And more so than anything,
Mike Tyson means a lot to Francis Ngannou.
He kind of inspired Francis to wanna
start this journey of being a fighter.
So, for it to come full circle,
him to help us help Francis
in the world's biggest fight,
it can't get any better, man. Let's go.
[camera shutter clicks]
- [Arum] Hey, Evan, how you doing, man?
- [Evan] Great. How are you?
Good. Melissa or somebody
sent a message that, uh,
somebody wants to talk to me.
You know anything about it?
You know, this isn't my first rodeo.
I started as a promoter
for the great Muhammad Ali,
who I tell everybody was my mentor.
Because even though
I was technically Ali's promoter,
anything about promotion,
I learned from Ali.
What's different about this fight
is that we are really
officially on a grand scale,
opening up a new and vital market
for the sport of boxing.
And this is the one
that you travel with. You see?
Very, very exciting for me
after all these years
to see such enthusiasm
on the part of everyone.
Boxing, I don't think
will ever be the same after this event.
They're most surprising.
I asked them
where the fight was gonna be held,
and they said an arena in Riyadh.
And I said,
"How many events have the arena held?"
[chuckles] And they said...
[woman on phone]
The arena hasn't even been built yet.
And I thought they were pulling my leg.
[woman on phone] We'll chat later,
and don't forget
your flight leaves at 7:00.
This is like a circus.
That's all right. I love it.
Yes, big-time. Yes. Like big, big.
Yes, yes. I'll even do it.
I'll... I'll... I'll even pay for it.
[speaks Arabic]
...offices like this.
You have to have two different timings.
[speaks indistinctly]
[man speaking Arabic]
You know, the triangle
which is quality with cost and time.
This is the most difficult triangle.
I can't wait to see this venue.
Nine days, I was standing here
in beautiful desert.
They've built a stadium in... in what
would've took us two or three years.
[engineer]
And we have a lot of challenges.
Challenges that makes it more exciting.
No one does it like the Saudis do it.
[Brown] If they want it done,
they're gonna get it done.
They've got that passion
and they want to take it to a new level.
I'll pay for it. What is it going to cost?
No, we need to figure something out.
I don't want to see this.
We've got a team
of specialist engineers, designers.
With all these companies around the world,
with the best producers, the best show.
We are problem-solvers.
Whatever you think or you imagine,
we make it reality.
[engineer 2]
When we open the doors for all the peoples
and all around the world
seeing these projects, all... Millions.
A tear is gonna come out. I don't know.
[crowd clamoring]
[inaudible dialogue]
[reporter 1] Ngannou's been pacing like
a caged animal waiting to get out there.
[reporter 2] Tyson Fury
is a rare quality to boxing.
He brings joy inside the ring
and outside the ring.
[announcer] And really when you sit back
and you look at Tyson Fury,
he is always defined
by his unique family and roots.
[Brown] Yesterday, I f*cking...
I was... I was...
I was last to reach out,
missed about four.
[Fury] What for?
'Cause I kept f*cking having
to ring you, didn't I?
- [Fury] Yeah, you told me about 96 times.
- I know. f*cking hell.
[Fury] I was thinking, "f*cking hell,
what's going on here? It's odd."
[Brown chuckles]
[Brown] You don't realize that Tyson
is one of the biggest wind-up merchants
you'll ever meet in your life.
- [Fury] I'm not.
- [Brown] You are.
[Brown] Let me tell you.
Don't give me all that bollocks.
One of the biggest wind-up merchants ever.
What, you don't like a lot of bants?
[Brown] Not really.
- I do.
- [Brown] She's an old...
- ["Like That" playing through speaker]
- [Brown] Oh, can't complain.
[exhaling sharply]
[Fury] I've been undefeated for 15 years.
So that suggests
I don't take any m*therf*cker lightly.
I train me bollocks off for everybody.
Whether he's a window cleaner
or he's a world heavyweight king,
they both get the same treatment,
and that's total domination by me.
This is about as big as, um,
what's-he-called's face.
- Ngannou's head.
- [Brown] Yeah.
That's why I use this bag.
Facing me
is like facing David out of the Bible.
You know you're f*cked.
If they could bring Muhammad Ali,
Bruce Lee back
and Mike Tyson combined,
it still couldn't make him b*at me.
We don't really know what to expect.
So he had to prepare for everything.
It's probably a more difficult fight
than anything else.
He's, uh, up for the challenge,
and he likes to go in and whup some ass.
It's, uh, definitely a clash
of the titans,
two giants going toe-to-toe
and gonna smash each other to bits,
so they say.
Until we get in there, we'll find out,
'cause all eyes are on us.
Like 2Pac said, all eyes on me.
[grunting]
[Brown] You want a drink, Tyson?
[whistles]
Bit of work, that.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
The flights and everything are done.
Tyson, the person is, um...
He's a big, gentle giant.
You know, people talk
about his bipolar and everything.
Yeah, of course,
he has good days and bad days.
But when he has a bad day,
you stay out of the way.
[exhaling sharply]
But it's... To be honest, it's... it's...
it's not that often he has a bad day.
He's always smiling.
He likes the simple things in life.
He... He doesn't just drive
big flash motors, he'll drive a cheap car.
Um, he loves Morecambe.
He's a part of the furniture in Morecambe,
to be quite honest.
Me and Tyson on a run, aren't we, Tyson?
- Come on, the boys!
- Get up, boys.
- Get up, man.
- What a lad.
[Brown] He's a big family man.
He's got everybody he needs around him.
His brothers, you know.
His dad. Everybody.
[Fury] Morning, bro.
Monday morning workout.
What you saying, Dad?
Good to be alive, innit?
And what... what I think you'll find is,
with Tyson's family as well,
they don't care
if he's got millions, billions.
Whatever he's got, they're not bothered.
All they're bothered is about him.
[Fury kissing]
- Me!
- Oh, great.
Just a small-time boy from Morecambe Bay.
Crazy, really.
I've said it many, many times before.
I was proud of him the day he was born.
[John] He was fetched up, rough and tough.
We always had shelter, clothing,
and food and fresh air.
But all the... the better things in life,
the luxurious things,
he didn't know nothing of.
[Davies] Tyson Fury's from ten generations
of bare-knuckle fighters.
[John] That's probably made him
the fighting man he is today.
[Sahni] He was always destined
to become a boxer
and quickly moved up the ranks
and got his world title sh*t.
[Davies] He shocked the world
by b*ating the greatest heavyweight
of his generation.
[Sahni] But once you reach the top of
the mountain, where is there to go next?
[Atlas] After he b*at Klitschko,
his life spiraled down.
[Brown]
He was 28 stone, and he'd blown up.
He was never gonna box again.
[Atlas]
Drug use, alcohol, thoughts of su1c1de.
[Brown]
The guy didn't want to live anymore.
I think the only thing
he was bothered about was his family.
[John] If it's all good, good, good
and you've never known bad,
well, you're in for a rude awakening
in life, aren't you?
[Warren] But he came back.
He got into that gym. He worked hard.
And I said, "Look, I can make this fight
with Deontay Wilder."
Everybody said he's gonna get b*at
when he's an underdog.
[announcer] Twelfth and final round for
the heavyweight championship of the world.
[Warren] He was winning the fight
and that last round...
I stood up and I thought it was all over.
[Davies]
And just when you think it's over,
that's what Tyson Fury does.
He resurrects himself.
[announcer] ...then counters
with the right hand!
[Warren] It was just
the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
[Sahni] He was well and truly back,
cementing himself as one of
the greatest heavyweights of all time.
[John]
To take my name to the heights he has,
of being number one in the world,
a global superstar...
[Davies]
Whatever fight Tyson is involved in
is guaranteed to be
the biggest show on the planet.
[Sahni] Best believe
when Tyson Fury is in Riyadh,
he will want to show the world
that he is the man.
Words can't express how I feel
every time I look at the man.
I just look at him in awe, you know,
and thinking, "Yeah, he's my son."
I'm getting goose bumps now,
to be honest with you, thinking about it.
[Brown] Bang, bang
Bang, bang
Good video, that one, eh?
["Bang Bang" playing]
[yelling]
- [alarm blaring]
- [sighs]
[rumbling]
[breathing heavily]
[music ends]
I think that's the best promo
I've ever seen in combat sport.
This will probably never be done again,
so I hope you guys enjoy it.
This fight is... is so different.
It's something new.
It's entertainment,
and we wanted to really treat it that way.
We were asked to
deliver this fight to everyone.
[director] And we wanted to
make the world feel the excitement
and make the world feel like this is
gonna be a coalition of the world.
[yells]
- [bell rings]
- [animal roars]
152 million people, in two days,
watch the first promo,
and it's only just started.
Well, wait and see what's coming next.
[Davies] The marketing around this event,
there is so much creative genius involved.
Unit 9 are a global production company,
and we specialize in creating
amazing experiences
at the intersection
of creativity and technology.
We scanned both fighters,
and the idea was we wanted to create
really high quality assets
that we could then use throughout
all of the activations we were building.
[producer] What that means is that
anyone around the world
were able to get a sense of
what Riyadh Season was.
But more importantly,
what Battle of the Baddest was.
This is magnificent.
I've never seen promotion like it.
[Fury]
If I have a fight that I'm involved in,
it's the biggest fight
in the world at that time.
They both have the moniker of king.
So the idea was to portray them as kings.
In a royal portrait, the king or queen
often is doing this, this sort of gesture.
Which apparently is to signify
that they know their destiny.
This is beautiful. The boy has made it.
[Knight] The way that the images
have been used is quite incredible.
And also the scale of it.
It's quite breathtaking
and a little humbling to be honest.
[Sahni] What will they say about
Francis Ngannou after this fight?
They will say Francis Ngannou
is the damn man. [chuckles]
[Fury] This is a Hollywood movie.
And I've got two Hall of Fame promoters.
Not one, two.
Who did it better? Nobody. Ever!
Been working in the sport now
for 12, 13 years.
And this is bigger than anything
we've ever been involved in.
It absolutely blows the doors off of
anything that's ever happened in Vegas.
Nothing has ever been on this level.
I would say 100%, this is the biggest
campaign in the history of boxing.
I would probably say
it's the biggest campaign
to promote a sporting event
that I've ever seen.
There's two words.
Two words that describe the whole thing.
[reporter] Ronaldo, what do you think
about Francis's chances against Fury?
Next question.
Big-time.
[Singh] It really was out of this world.
I mean, everybody knows about this event.
[Warren] It is the event.
All eyeballs, all around the world,
are gonna be watching this fight.
Pretty cool.
[Brown] Unbelievable, mate.
I was... I was there sh**ting it
and I can't remember half of that.
[Fury] Hey!
Surprise, surprise.
Riyadh's lovely. Sun's shining.
Look here. Paradise.
He's hit me, bang. He's hit Joe, bang.
But even if he hadn't,
stiffened all his legs up.
[Brown laughing]
Oh, what's that geezer? The wrestler?
The big wrestler, what's he called?
- Um, Hulk Hogan. You look like Hulk Hogan.
- Huh? Ah, yeah.
Yeah, you know him, don't you?
Hulk Hogan's arsehole.
Me dad's got in the car. Me dad's like,
"Go on, mate. You can get in there."
He jumped on him. [exclaims]
He's hit me dad, right. Me dad's like...
[chuckles]
Nothing intimidating at all about, uh,
going to present Tyson and his team
with a, uh, with a ring walk.
Oh, the ring walk?
Should we go to the gym
and play it on the sound system?
Yeah. Go to the gym,
play it on the sound system.
So let me talk you through just
logistically where we think everything is.
'Cause at the moment,
we'd split it down into three pieces.
The brief was simple.
It was like, go big and show the world.
["Pretty Woman" playing through speaker]
[clapping]
Pretty woman
[song ends]
- You ready?
- ["Higher State of Consciousness" playing]
Bit of your era, this, Ben.
Eh? I can imagine you
in one of them pubs like that.
[Brown chuckling] Yeah. Yeah.
"Jolene" is playing in the background
as he walks out,
he gets to two double doors
that close behind him
and that's Lennox and Evander.
And they've basically
closed the doors behind him,
and the last sh*t we see is them,
like, arms crossed at the door.
So could we bring some other champions
in down the corridor?
So he's walking down like that,
and he's going...
- Yeah.
- Who else we got?
f*cking loads.
I mean,
you could totally line that corridor.
I mean, you've got Larry Holmes,
f*cking Roberto Durn.
So you just go like that.
He goes like that.
[crowd cheering]
[Michael Buffer] Ladies and gentleman,
this is the moment
the world has been waiting for.
And it seems almost all the world
is here tonight.
Who will be the baddest man on the planet?
So, let's get this party started!
Big fan, big fan.
[fan] Uh, good luck.
[Ngannou] You know, when you dream
about something so much,
it feels like it's real.
It's more like manifestation, or I have,
like, a tough path getting here.
But at the end of the day,
I think it's the greatest reward
that I could have ever imagined.
[Cooper] Francis has the athleticism.
He has the know-how
and he has that championship intangible,
just knowing how to win.
This will be the world's biggest upset
in all of sports history.
[grunts]
[sighs]
[interviewer] In what world does
Francis Ngannou win, and how?
What he's bringing to this fight,
as far as an argument to win,
is A, he can bang.
[crowd cheering]
Of course, the power doesn't really need
to be stated, as you know,
it's what everybody's talking about.
His power is unforgiving.
There's no doubt about it.
[Cooper] That's what he does in fights.
He knocks people out, man.
He brutally separates people
from their consciousness.
When you know yourself, you know yourself.
No one can tell you who the f*ck you are.
And I'll tell you,
Francis Ngannou knows who he is.
[Ngannou] I never walk to a fight
looking for a knockout.
It just happens.
The other thing that we have to
consider though is unpredictability.
Because Tyson's used to fighting boxers.
Boxers move
with good fundamental patterns.
You can see the directions
that their punches are coming in.
The difference with Ngannou is he's not
gonna move in those kind of rhythms.
Tyson Fury obviously is a big favorite.
He's supposed to win.
You don't think as good as he is,
and he's really good, but...
And he is.
But as good as he is, that he's not human,
that he hasn't thought,
"Ah, this guy has no chance."
If that has snuck into the equation,
the other guy has a chance then.
[Cooper] Up that double jab. Liver sh*t.
- Now, square that shoulder up.
- [coach] Awesome stuff.
But if one person deserves it
and one person can do it,
it's definitely the Predator,
Francis Ngannou.
One, two, three, four. [grunts]
- [bell rings]
- [Cooper] Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
I used to be counted down, so it's okay.
I used to be underdog,
it's not the first time.
[Cooper]
The whole world may feel a certain way,
but what matters is what we expect.
Through the hard work we've done
for the last 15 weeks,
through the belief we have
in Francis Ngannou,
and most importantly,
for the belief he has in himself.
[blows raspberry] Yeah, there's a risk.
Of course, he's a big risk, you know.
But so is crossing the road,
especially in Saudi at five o'clock.
[chuckling]
[groans]
You're never gonna see so many superstars
in one place in your life again.
[Atlas] And just to see one after another
come into that room...
It became one of these moments.
You know? These moments.
[Khan] I just sat there today
with the fighters, all the legends.
I felt like I was in a sweet shop.
[Jones] Now that I see this event,
I see what His Excellency is trying to do.
It's like, now I feel safe again
because he wants to get boxing
back to where boxing belongs.
He wants true boxing
to be true boxing again.
This is gonna take boxing
to a different level.
[Hatton] Just to see
all the legends of the sport all here.
I said that it's an absolute pleasure
to be here.
I think it's gonna get bigger
and better over here, I really do.
[Khan] He's taken the sport
to a new level, definitely.
Look at the excitement.
People don't know what's gonna happen.
I'm humbled to be amongst greatness.
It's just amazing that you've got
so many champions under one roof.
This will be a very, very important
turning point for the sport of boxing.
[Martin] Riyadh Season is putting on
a historic event.
And people won't know it
until they see it.
And when they see it, they will know it.
This event is the spotlight in the air
saying "We're here, come watch us."
It's good to be noticed.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Francis Ngannou, it's
the first time he's ever boxed in there.
In these kind of circumstances.
He did have two amateur fights
in Cameroon way back when.
He's had this crash course
from Mike Tyson.
And now he's got
this unbelievable challenge in there.
The Gypsy King is back,
back in unique circumstances
with his charisma and popularity,
making this a huge worldwide event.
It's Oleksandr Usyk next.
But first, there's a job to do
here in Riyadh tonight.
Fury did say in the buildup
that he's walked through Deontay Wilder,
so he fully expects
to walk through Francis Ngannou.
[chuckling] But that might be not
something he wants to try.
[crowd chanting]
[commentator] ...monumental event
that the world is talking about.
[chattering]
Ah, you came out the other way.
- [chuckling]
- Hello.
I hope I have my... mine like Usyk's.
[chuckling]
[stammers] No low-blow, Tyson.
[commentator]
We have seen 20-foot tall statues.
We have lit up Times Square, Piccadilly,
the Las Vegas Sphere,
the back of every bus in London.
[chattering]
- [tailor] Have you not got, like a...
- Can we take the shorter part?
- I know my career.
- I have done it all.
- Okay.
- I used to tailor my pants, my shirts.
- There you go.
- [chuckles]
- All the hole in my pants.
- All right, that's enough.
- [sighs]
- Okay.
[commentator] On Saturday night,
two kings collide right here
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to begin this year's iconic Riyadh Season.
Yes.
Look at that.
[cameraman]
Tyson, they built this for you, man.
Some G, ain't I? Some boy.
[commentator] The lineal MMA heavyweight
champion Francis Ngannou
takes on the lineal world heavyweight
champion Tyson Fury.
[Brown] You see the ring got downsized?
- Yeah?
- Could you just fall off there?
That's what I was coming to tell you.
[speaking indistinctly]
Yeah, we need a big stool. Big stool.
Yeah. Good man.
And the new
heavyweight champion of the world.
[Ngannou chuckles]
[commentator] Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the greatest show on earth.
I'm knocking you spark out
on Saturday night.
Out cold.
I reverse the table to you
on the sixth round. Yeah?
[Fury]
I'm ready, and I'm knocking you out.
- I'm ready too. I'm more than ready.
- [Fury] Out cold.
You're gonna know what it feels like
to get knocked spark out.
You have multiple life,
but you have lost some of them already.
- Your first knockout loss.
- Don't you worry.
- [Tyson] Francis. Francis.
- Okay. They'll see you on Saturday night.
[Fury] I know you can't punch. Zero power.
[Ngannou] Okay.
- [Fury] Zero power.
- Then lift your chin.
[Sahni] Looks like John Fury is coming up
to join us on the stage.
- [Fury] A big, ugly dosser.
- [Ngannou] Lift your chin on the way.
- It'll be there. You hit it. You hit it.
- [John yelling indistinctly]
Look how fat he is.
- You want my sunglasses?
- He's not even in shape.
He's not even in shape.
He's fat, Mike, he's fat.
You used to knock people out
when you were fat.
- So it's okay.
- [chuckles]
[Tyson chuckles] He got you with that one.
He got you with that one.
That's true. That's true.
- I'll give him that. That is true.
- [all chuckling]
[Sahni]
Now we are in a very unique position.
We have the father of Tyson Fury here,
John Fury.
And we have the man at the other end
of the table who he named him after.
Uh, John, let me just get your thoughts
on this fight, this event,
and what you're seeing here today.
[John] What can you say?
Great things happen in great places.
[John] I named him after Mike Tyson
'cause Mike Tyson in the '80s
was the best heavyweight ever
to put a pair of gloves on, in my eyes.
You know, he's a wrecking machine.
He got the job done, you know.
And it was a pleasure
to name this one after him.
It really is almost
a Hollywood type of situation.
Now, imagine if you're Tyson Fury
and you're named after Mike Tyson
and Mike is training your opponent.
I mean, that has to psychologically
have some effect.
It would certainly affect me
if I was a fighter who was named after,
uh, an all-time great.
And me son has held his name
in high esteem
and kept his name up in the bright lights,
you know.
And I got the utmost respect for the guy,
you know, at the end of the day.
But it's the fighting business, isn't it?
We're all here, it's a fight game
and this, that and the other.
And a lot of things can happen
on the spur of the moment, can't they?
[chuckles]
You got the king of the '80s
at the end there.
You got my son, the king of the present.
What can you say?
So many great people under one roof
coming together
for a special day on Saturday.
- Let me tell you, my brother...
- [Tyson speaks indistinctly]
...the world is gonna see
what's gonna happen to your man.
Your man will get his head boxed off
and stomped out.
And the new heavyweight champion
of the world!
Tyson cannot be b*at!
- Can you, Son?
- Get up there, my boy!
- Get up there, my boy! Get up there!
- [yelling indistinctly]
Francis! Francis! Francis!
Francis! Francis!
[Ngannou, Tyson]
Francis! Francis! Francis!
- Francis! Francis!
- No, no, no, no.
[Sahni] Fantastic stuff.
John Fury, Mike Tyson, thank you so much.
And, Tyson, final word to you.
What's happening on Saturday?
- I'm gonna knock that big stiff spark out.
- [John] Go on, my son.
- And there's nothing he can do about it.
- [John] Go on, my son.
No matter who he trains with,
no matter what he brings on the night,
I'm knocking you spark out
on Saturday night. Game over.
[Buffer] Francis "The Predator" Ngannou!
The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury!
[interviewer] Final question.
We know Tyson is the heavy favorite here,
but quick prediction for fight night.
How's it going down? What round?
At the end of the day, my prediction...
I have to go with Tyson Fury.
Look, if I was in Ngannou's corner,
I would say, if I was Mike Tyson,
"Go in there and just go for the k*ll."
The only way he can b*at Tyson Fury is
to try to land a good punch on Tyson Fury
and knock Tyson Fury out.
When a guy weighs the same as you
or even over 200 pounds,
you gotta... gotta watch out
for that heavy punch.
Ngannou, he's a short guy.
He has to stay close to his chest
and rip them sh*ts in,
because the thing is,
if you give space to Tyson Fury,
he's gonna knock you out.
Don't obviously try
and get into a boxing match
with the best boxer on the planet
because that's not gonna work out.
He's not gonna b*at him to the punch.
He's not gonna outstrike him numbers-wise.
He's not gonna b*at him on volume.
If Francis Ngannou can land
that one lucky sh*t, he can get him out.
But that's his only chance, in my opinion,
because Tyson Fury
is one of the best skilled boxers,
especially as a heavyweight,
that we've ever seen.
He can move.
He's mobile, he's agile, all of that.
So really, b*ating a guy like Tyson Fury
is a very big ask.
I really don't see nobody
around right now outboxing Tyson Fury.
It's, uh... This is a good fight,
but I think Tyson Fury will win the fight.
I would say that he's gonna wind up
stomping Ngannou,
maybe six, seven.
Somewhere in that area.
I say four rounds.
Four rounds, then the fight will be over.
I... I think we're gonna get
three rounds of him
kind of throwing a fire blanket over
all that is dangerous about Ngannou.
And then... And then he's gonna
start to find his targets.
But again, it's gonna be the kind of fight
where you can never fully relax.
There's something to be said about that.
Stay tuned.
Please say that again.
[interviewer] With Francis b*ating
Tyson Fury, if Francis wins...
It'll be the biggest upset
in the history of sports.
Not just boxing, sports.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Buffer] Ladies and gentleman,
from the all new Kingdom Arena,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
the Riyadh Season officially
begins tonight with the main event,
the Battle of the Baddest.
Ten rounds of boxing
in the heavyweight division.
The fighters are in the ring,
and they are ready.
Ladies and gentlemen,
- let's get ready to rumble!
- [crowd cheering]
You men received my instructions
in the dressing room.
Remember to obey my commands,
protect yourselves at all times, men.
Touch gloves now,
you're boxing at the bell.
God bless you both.
- Time to go to school.
- [Ngannou] Let's go.
[commentator 1] So here we go,
a historic heavyweight event.
Boxing's lineal champion against the
hardest puncher in all of combat sports.
[bell rings]
[commentator 2] Tyson Fury straight out
to meet Francis Ngannou
with a big sh*t early on.
[commentator 1]
Two-punch combination from Fury.
[commentator 3] He... He's just
really warming up, uh, Tyson Fury
and just... just assessing the situation
and what's in front of him.
[commentator 1]
There's a left hand from Ngannou.
Jab off the hip
from the 6'9" heavyweight champ.
[commentator 2] A man that nobody
has managed to get the better of
as a professional in the world,
champion Tyson Fury.
[commentator 1] At any one moment,
one punch can finish it when you're
this big, possessing this much power.
- [commentator 3] That's better from Fury.
- [commentator 2] Brilliant sh*t from Fury,
the first time he's let
his overhand right go properly.
And it connects with Ngannou,
who took it well.
And he wants to fire his own one back.
[commentator 4]
Landed a few sh*ts back-to-back.
[commentator 2] There's no shortage
of ambition from Ngannou.
Both of them fighting fire with fire
- in this opening round.
- [bell rings]
Well, there's the bell
to end the first round.
I would think in that corner
they'll be relatively satisfied.
Get him straight.
You gotta try and top that right hand.
[bell rings]
[commentator 2]
Ngannou fighting fire with fire.
He lands a sh*t.
Ngannou wanting to be the aggressor.
[commentator 1]
There's a left hand from Ngannou.
[commentator 2] If he can do
anything tonight, by way of an upset,
it would be the biggest shock,
in my opinion, in boxing history.
And he's growing into the fight, Richie.
The more it goes, the better he gets.
He's starting to land sh*ts.
Big left hook from Ngannou.
[commentator 1] ...blood.
As Tyson Fury swipes at his forehead.
[commentator 2] Ngannou still in there
and f*ring. Good combination!
[bell rings]
[commentator 3] The way it's unfolded
no one expected this at all.
[commentator 2] Francis Ngannou giving
an outstanding performance to this point.
[inaudible dialogue]
[commentator 2] It's already, I think,
a bit more competitive
than we expected it to be.
[Cooper]
Please stay focused. Have a drink.
[Atlas] Francis Ngannou,
what he's bringing to this fight,
as far as an argument to win,
he's been in that domain.
He's been in that cauldron.
That furnace.
In that chamber of truth
where he has breathed that air
that normal people don't breathe.
He was over in France.
He was homeless and he persevered.
There was something in him that said,
"No, you're gonna make it.
You must make it."
Well, that something is gonna have
to be called on tonight.
And if it shows up, you never know.
[commentator 3] To close the gap,
he's got to get to Tyson Fury.
[commentator 1] His lifelong dream
of boxing, since he was a child.
[Martin] What we have seen,
what I have seen in Francis
this entire time,
is that that guy is special.
That guy was destined to be champion.
And not a man, not a person,
not a naysayer on Twitter
can do a damn thing about it.
It was written.
[crowd yelling]
[commentator 1]
Oh, he catches him off guard!
Francis Ngannou has just scored
a knockdown on this heavyweight champ!
Anything can happen, it just did!
[commentator 2] Oh, down he goes!
Down goes Fury!
Down goes Fury!
Ngannou lands the big sh*t!
And the heavyweight champion
has to pick himself off the canvas.
[commentator 3]
Unbelievable left hook came from Ngannou.
Fury's okay.
He's been there many times before.
But that is an incredible punch
from Francis Ngannou.
Incredible, how much damage has it done?
[commentator 2]
Ngannou's landed the big punch.
There's only 10 seconds
of the round to go,
and Tyson Fury is gonna try
and keep out the way.
Astonishing.
[bell rings]
[commentator 2] The atmosphere in here,
Richie, now is off the scale.
Look at me. You trying too g*dd*mn hard.
It's not happening right now.
You've got to remember,
when I started working with Tyson,
he was, um, he was 28 stone.
Twenty-seven, 28 stone.
He'd blown up.
He was never gonna box again.
You know,
the... the guy didn't want to live anymore.
I've been to shows with him
and I've witnessed grown men
crying their eyes out.
They've spent five minutes with Tyson,
changed their life.
And that's not just one man,
that's a lot of people.
Only time I can get the real buzz
or the real purpose in life
is when I'm doing this sh*t.
So I thought that I could
just walk away from boxing
and just leave it alone,
and it's proved
to be very difficult for me.
[commentator 2]
The kind of fella you'd never bet against.
I mean, he's been in some dark places
in and out of the ring in the past
and he always finds a way.
So the fourth round,
Tyson Fury down in the third.
[commentator 3] But that's the heavyweight
division for you, you know.
One punch can change everything.
[commentator 1] Here he comes charging in.
[commentator 2] He's gotta get working,
and he's gotta get working quickly.
The better punches again
from Ngannou in the exchange.
[commentator 3]
Yeah, big sh*ts from Ngannou.
[commentator 1]
Two-punch combination from Fury.
[commentator 3] It's Ngannou who seems
to be getting the better of it.
[commentator 2] I think there's total
disbelief and surprise around the arena
at the way this is actually going.
That's better work from Fury.
Nice and accurate.
- Fury landing again.
- [bell rings]
Francis Ngannou,
he doesn't look like a novice.
He looks like a seasoned
boxing professional in there.
[commentator 1]
There's a right hand from Fury.
[commentator 3]
A couple of good sh*ts there from Tyson.
He's trying to find a way
to catch Ngannou.
[commentator 4] Fury now getting into good
rhythm, landed a few sh*ts back-to-back.
[commentator 3]
He tries to come back with an uppercut.
[bell rings]
[commentator 2]
Just signs at the end of that round
that he might be finding his rhythm.
[commentator 3] Tyson Fury, he's adapted
to every situation in all of his contests.
[commentator 2]
I wonder what he's thinking.
[commentator 1] Tyson Fury
found himself in a hole early on.
Can he find a way,
or is this going to be
one of the biggest upsets
that the sport has ever seen?
[commentator 2]
Ngannou looking to rough him up in there.
Listen to the crowd.
[commentator 3] The signs are
that Tyson Fury is getting back into it.
[commentator 2] Oh, that's better.
That's a lot better from Fury.
[commentator 3] Tyson Fury, he's adapted
to every situation in all of his contests.
[commentator 1]
No matter how this plays out,
- a superb accomplishment by Ngannou.
- [commentator 5] Yes.
[commentator 2] Fury landing again.
[commentator 4] See the hesitation
now coming from Ngannou.
[commentator 2]
He might just be finding his range
and finding his rhythm, the champion.
Ngannou controlling
the center of the ring.
He doesn't look like a novice.
He looks like a seasoned
boxing professional in there
against a man who's never been beaten.
Tyson Fury has to dig deep,
as deep as he's ever had to dig,
with a minute to go.
[commentator 1] This fight is shockingly
about to go the distance.
[bell rings]
And who knows how the judges may see this?
[Warren]
The funny thing was before the fight,
everybody was saying it's gonna
be pretty much of a walkover for Tyson.
And I always felt it was
gonna be competitive,
but I didn't think it was gonna last long.
I thought Tyson would get on top
of him very quickly.
But at the end of the day, it was...
it was... never turned out like that.
You've got Ngannou who turned out to be
quite a tidy heavyweight fighter.
That's what boxing's all about.
There's no certainties in boxing,
anything can happen.
[commentator 2] I think everybody spoke
in the week about "what if,"
and they made the "what if" very small.
But that "what if" has got
significantly bigger.
[Adesanya]
When a young kid from Cameroon sees that,
who's working in the sand mines
and be like, "I'm just like him.
I'm exactly where he was."
And you don't have to be a UFC fighter
or a UFC champion
or even a fighter, you know, or boxer.
It could just be whatever you wanna do.
It just lets you know anything is possible
if you believe and you work towards it.
And that's what he's done.
I've seen him make miracles, man.
I've seen him make miracles happen
in his life with these things,
and I believe he's gonna do it again.
I honestly really believe that.
[commentator 2] Are we on the verge of
a sensation here in Riyadh?
[Ngannou] At the end of the day,
I think this is something that's great
no matter what happen, you know.
To come to this point in life,
uh, to be part of something like this,
to chase something like this
for so many years
and ending up having it
in the biggest manner,
in the biggest fashion.
I think this is a big win already.
[Buffer] Ladies and gentlemen,
after 10 rounds of boxing,
we go to the scorecards.
Ed Garner scores it 95-94 Ngannou.
[crowd cheering]
[Buffer]
Juan Pelayo scores it 96-93 for Fury.
Alan Krebs scores it 95-94...
[Ngannou] The night of the 28th,
I'm gonna go out there
to chase the second win,
but the first win, I have won already.
I have won everything.
[Buffer] Winner by split decision.
Still undefeated...
- [crowd cheering]
- ...from the United Kingdom,
the WBC heavyweight world champion,
the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury!
As I said, it's a dream.
Living, enjoying the process.
At least at the end of the day,
I will have a good story of myself.
You know, to tell my kids
or my grandkids someday,
one upon a time, you know,
the Battle of the Baddest
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
Francis Ngannou was part of it. [chuckles]
[Fury]
That definitely wasn't in the script.
Francis is a hell of a fighter.
Strong, big puncher.
[John] Well, listen, nobody 6'6"
and 270 pounds is a walkover.
It's a dangerous, dangerous business.
Tyson, he's that professional.
He knows never to overlook anybody.
I can only commend him in that respect
because he's so good in what he does.
I'm in awe of these guys.
I love them all,
and that's what makes me so proud.
You know, what... what can I say?
I'm such a lucky dad, aren't I?
[Fury] Where's Oleksandr Usyk, the Rabbit?
Listen, it's been going on a long time.
We were supposed to fight
in April at Wembley.
It never happened.
Let's do the fight over here,
for all the belts,
the undisputed heavyweight
championship of the world.
- Let's go, my brother, let's go.
- Let's go.
[sighs]
- [interviewer] How you feeling?
- Pfft, I feel good.
- [interviewer] You ready?
- Yes, I'm ready.
I'm ready to fight.
Hey, greedy belly, I'm ready to fight.
I love you.
["Tubthumping" playing]
You're fighting the best
British heavyweight there's ever been.
The f*cking dauntless in these waters.
Me. You b*at all the rest of them,
but you ain't b*at Tyson Fury yet.
- Enough.
- Enough what?
You stop? You stop talk?
I come here to pick a fight.
Battle of the Baddest (2024)
Moderator: Maskath3