Fury took on UFC champion Ngannou for his boxing debut in Saudi Arabia last October
Netflix's latest sports offering gives a behind-the-scenes look at the boxing match dubbed 'Battle of the Baddest.' WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury took on Francis Ngannou at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28 last year.
In a twist, the match was former UFC champion Ngannou's professional boxing debut. Officials confirmed the fight was allowed and would last for 10 rounds, but that Fury's title would not be at stake.
Ngannou had desired to try boxing professionally for a while and wanted to fight Fury in particular. However his contract with the UFC meant he couldn't pursue this. After departing the UFC last January, he went on to sign with the PFL, which allowed him to box.
Fury, from Wyvthenshawe, entered the fight as a 14–1 favourite, but was floored in the third round. Despite seemingly being second best, the WBC heavyweight champion was awarded a split decision, with the scorecards dubiously reading 95–94, 96–93, 94–95 in his favour.
According to CompuBox, a computerised punches scoring system, Fury outlanded Ngannou 71 to 59 in total punches, while Ngannou outlanded Fury 37 to 32 in power punches. Following the fight, Fury admitted that Ngannou is 'a lot better of a boxer than we thought he’d be,' adding: "He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher, and I respect him a lot... I don’t know how close [the fight] was, but I got the win and that’s what it is."
A new Netflix film, titled Battle of the Baddest, looks back at how the pair prepared for the fight. A trailer shared by Mike Tyson on X, formerly Twitter, shows a number of sporting legends - himself included - weigh in on the big day.
Last August, Fury starred in a nine-part documentary series focusing on his personal life and family, including wife Paris and his growing brood of children. At Home With The Furys was supposed to document the boxer's retirement, but it wasn't long before he was back in training to take on old rival Derek Chisora.
Fury returns to Saudi Arabia to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a bid to become undisputed heavyweight world champion on Friday May 18. The much-anticipated bout has already been rescheduled a number of times.
It was first confirmed in September and was initially scheduled for December 23. The match was delayed until February 17 and then rescheduled once again after Fury sustained a deep cut above his right eye while sparring, which required 11 stitches.
The fight will see Fury or Usyk take the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world - something that hasn't happened since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.