Tyson Fury v Francis Ngannou confirmed as professional fight and will count towards records

Tyson Fury's heavyweight fight against Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia will be a professional bout, coming under the jurisdiction of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).

Fury, 35, will fight on Saturday against 37-year-old former UFC champion Ngannou, who is contesting his first-ever boxing match.

However, Fury's WBC heavyweight title will not be on the line.

The fight in Riyadh is set to take place in a separate ring and in an adjacent arena to the rest of the undercard.

The BBBofC - the UK governing body for boxing - had previously said the show in Saudi Arabia was under its jurisdiction, but uncertainty remained over whether the Fury-Ngannou fight would officially be counted as professional.

However, it has now appeared on the BBBofC website's official schedule section.

Fury had earlier said he was told by general secretary Robert Smith it is a pro fight and will count towards records.

Fury said: "I'm happy because... before it was going to be like a result on the night but not an official win or loss on the record. Now it makes things a bit tastier."

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The fight between Fury and Ngannou serves as one of the headline shows of Saudi Arabia's 'Riyadh Season'.

The country has been criticised for using sport to sportwash their image, reportedly paying millions to bring Fury's bout with Ngannou to the region.

Two-time world champion Fury defeated Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December to extend his unbeaten record to 33 wins and one draw.

French-Cameroonian Ngannou, 37, boasts an MMA record of 17 wins in 20 fights.

The WBC confirmed to BBC Sport that Fury's "title is not on the line because Ngannou is not rated in the WBC".

In a statement, it added that "the WBC has granted Fury the special permission to do this fight". The sanctioning body has created a commemorative 'Riyadh champion' belt for the winner.

Fury has also signed a deal to face fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk - who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts - in a historic undisputed fight in Riyadh.

The blockbuster bout has been mooted for 23 December and will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.

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