Fascinating Fury-Ngannou bout latest example of Saudi Arabia's sportswashing strategy

If you're excited about Saturday's heavyweight boxing showdown between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Francis "The Predator" Ngannou, the former UFC champion who now competes in the Professional Fighters League, I don't blame you. 

What's not to like about the prospect of two giant guys, trading trash talk and big punches, trying to bash each other's face in? That formula sells every sport from boxing, to MMA, to pro wrestling, to old-time hockey.

Just understand that the matchup makes no competitive sense, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that Ngannou might do something besides lose.

But… What about Ngannou's superhuman strength? Didn't a childhood spent working a Cameroonian sand pit turn him into a Hercules?

Yes, but this isn't a strongman contest. It's a boxing match. If these two ever hook up in a phonebook-ripping contest, bet all your money on Ngannou. Otherwise, lean toward the boxer.

So then what about punching power? Didn't Ngannou end his UFC run with five consecutive knockouts?

Sure, but punching power is context-dependent. Landing a big shot against somebody also trying to defend against kicks, elbows, takedowns and knee strikes is one task. Making solid contact against a slippery boxer who is only on alert for punches is a different challenge.

All right… but Ngannou is training with Mike Tyson — The Baddest Man on The Planet. That counts for something… doesn't it?

From a marketing standpoint, sure. It connects Tyson's name, reputation, and massive following to this event, making it feel like an important boxing match. But if you've seen video of them training, you've seen the former heavyweight champion drilling Ngannou fundamental skills that experienced boxers like Fury mastered as teenagers, and can perform by reflex. None of it bodes well for The Predator.

If it makes dollars it makes sense

In short, we've seen this fight before, except with smaller people.

While in Las Vegas, covering Floyd Mayweather's drubbing of Conor McGregor, I was interviewed roughly 20 times by Canadian media outlets, each of them asking how I thought McGregor would fare. Ian Hanomansing of The National asked me about McGregor's chances, and seemed surprised when I told him I expected a beatdown in Mayweather's favour.

That bout proved nothing, except that world class boxers box better than athletes in any other sport. I expect Fury-Ngannou to prove the same. Fury is so confident he'll dispatch Ngannou, he has already booked his next fight — a December clash with Oleksandr Usyk to unify the heavyweight titles. 

So why do these bouts keep happening?

So if you're wondering how a bout that's not even an official contest winds up anchoring a pay-per-view card that retails for $80, keep in mind that the matchup makes business sense for a long list of people.

The event also fits well in a contemporary sports scene that treasures appeal-broadening crossover events, and where financial support comes, increasingly from deep-pocketed Middle Eastern kingdoms.

Sportswashing strategy

Let's tackle that last part first.

Late last year, the NBA's board of governors approved a rule change, and allowed sovereign wealth funds to own up to 20 per cent of an NBA franchise. Commissioner Adam Silver clarified over the summer that the move wasn't a first step toward allowing sovereign wealth funds to own entire franchises, but he was also part of a delegation that travelled to Abu Dhabi in early October when the NBA staged an exhibition game there. Silver told reporters that he hoped to make Abu Dhabi an "NBA Hub," with the goal of allowing "the best young players from the region to compete against each other."

Talent is one kind of currency, but actual currency is the bigger goal here. Salary caps and franchise values are only heading in one direction, and can't keep rising without new sources of revenue — gambling partnerships, media deals, or new investment. Last June, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund acquired a five per cent stake in the company that owns the Washington Wizards.

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It plays out a little differently in boxing, where promoters, managers and athletes are always seeking partners willing to help bankroll eight-figure guarantees for main-eventers. In North America, casinos often step into that role, which explains how Las Vegas became the boxing capital of the western hemisphere.

It also explains how Saudi Arabia, which hosted its first pro boxing event in 2018, has become a destination for major fights. Organizers there put up a reported $150 million for a bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua that wound up never happening. For Saturday's bout, Fury is guaranteed a reported $50 million, while he says Ngannou will make "10, 20, 30, f--king 50 times the amount," he banked for UFC main events.

Fury's payday is in line with what Saudi backers pay WWE to stage events there, but a fraction of the reported $213 million soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo will make each season he plays in the Saudi league.

All those developments feed into ongoing discussions about sportswashing — where countries with ugly human rights records buy good will by spending lavishly on sports events. But, whether we acknowledge it, that debate ended when LeBron James, upon learning a Saudi club offered Kylian Mbappe $300 million a year, joked on X Twitter (now X) about how quickly he'd sprint to Saudi Arabia for a nine-figure payday. 

In that sense, it's not different from NBA basketball's return during the pandemic. James was a big advocate of resuming the season, which meant other players' choices had been made for them. As Patrick Bevery posted on Twitter before NBA players headed to the bubble:

"If @kingjames says we hooping, we all hooping." 

And if James says Saudi Arabia is in play for mainstream North American sports, it's in play.

Simon Kean of Trois Rivieres, Que., will face former WBO world champion Joseph Parker in a preliminary bout. Another will feature hard-punching heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov, who grew up in Russia but is now based in Montreal.

Any A-side fighter on the undercard would likely give Fury a stiffer test than Ngannou would — especially Makhmudov, whose punching power might rival Deontay Wilder's.

Athletically, it's a fascinating matchup.

Commercially, it'll have to wait until Fury completes a couple of higher-paying assignments. Usyk in December, and before that, the Ngannou matchup — a $50 million sparring session.

It might not turn out to be much of a contest, but it's already a heck of a business decision.