WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury confronts former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a Saturday 10-round boxing main event. Their fight headlines Riyadh Arena's Fury vs. Ngannou (2 p.m. ET). The conflict is more unusual than a world-championship bout, but it is still dangerous.
Fury has never lost a boxing contest, drawing Deontay Wilder in the first of their trilogy. But Fury was knocked down four times in the three-fight series, and Ngannou, the UFC's biggest puncher, has promised to knock him down.
Kahn seems to choose battles effortlessly. He is 44-13 on his previous 57 SportsLine boxing selections, delivering over $4,000 to $100 gamblers. His followers have received huge profits.
This week, Ngannou, a noted stoic, told the media that he doesn't feel pressure for Saturday's bout since just being in the ring is a success.
The former UFC heavyweight champion quickly went from popular to unpopular, and how much of it was his fault depends on your perspective. Despite injuries, he was ridiculed for competing only three times in his last three years with the UFC. He says he never turned down a match.
Many observers believed promotion and UFC president Dana White felt Ngannou overplayed his power and made unrealistic contract demands during his public contract dispute with the UFC.
Ngannou got an MMA deal with the PFL, which pays its fighters well, and Saturday's boxing showdown versus Fury might make him $10 million. His last UFC bout earned him $600,000.
Already successful, "Ngannou stated. "We won already. Saturday night, I'll go for a second win, but I've won. I won everything."
It was questioned if Fury was taking Saturday's main event seriously when his promoters stated that, barring injury or other unexpected circumstances, he will meet Usyk in a much-anticipated battle for the unified heavyweight championship in December.
Fury informed the media last week that he wasn't behind the statement and regretted it since it showed contempt for Ngannou. However, the WBC champion stated that he prepared for Saturday's bout with the same fervor as his other fights.
"I've trained hard for Francis. Fury says he prepped for a 10-round war and anything less is a bonus. "Don't heed to betting odds, commentators, or anybody. I don't underestimate anyone. He's starving. He wants to prove something. You think I won't train for him?" SportsLine shows who to back.
Kahn enjoys fights over 4.5 rounds. A method-of-victory prop and a confident money-line selection have also been called. His choices are only on SportsLine.