A fighter was left bloodied after a chaotic brawl erupted shortly before the press conference to launch Tyson Fury’s upcoming crossover fight against Francis Ngannou. The two heavyweights will face off in Saudi Arabia later this year, with Ngannou swapping the MMA octagon for a boxing ring.
A press conference was held on Thursday to launch the event, which is being billed as the fight to determine the ‘baddest man on the planet’. However, it was marred by a violent brawl involving two of the undercard fighters that left one of them with a bloody face.
British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley was in attendance for the planned announcement of his upcoming fight against David Adeleye, but things turned sour when a skirmish broke out on the red carpet. Adeleye started the brawl by shoving Wardley, who retaliated by lunging forward before all hell broke loose.
The two boxers frantically tried to get to each other before a swarm of people stepped in to calm the situation. Wardley was then led away with a visible cut on his left cheek and did not speak to the media members present as he left the red carpet.
It remains to be seen whether the Ipswich-born heavyweight will be able to have the last laugh when he meets Adeleye in the ring on the undercard. He boasts an unbeaten professional record and last fought in April, when he stopped Michael Polite Coffie in four rounds.
Fury, meanwhile, will be hoping to extend his own perfect record by defeating Ngannou when the pair face off next month. He will be the overwhelming favourite to get the job done, with Ngannou having never fought in a professional boxing match.
