Imagine a Super Bowl half-time show. That's what we've got going on at the moment, with rappers, singers and now a drumming interlude. All pretty spectacular, with the ring appearing once the stage moves out of the way.

Lil Baby and Flowdan are two of the main stars performing, if you're interested.

Now, the ring is lifted up from beneath the arena. Not too long now. Maybe.

Tyson Fury, speaking to TNT Sports: "Nearly go time isn't it and here's me so relaxed. All of these people have turned up. I'm an entertaining show man. I'm here to entertain and put on a show and that's what I'll do."

Ngannou with puncher's chance: "They've all got a punchers chance the men I face. I'm going in 100% prepared to put on a show. It's no time for slipping up right now."

MMA star Conor McGregor, who fought Floyd Mayweather in another crossover fight a few years ago, speaking to TNT Sports: "It's a tough ask. Tyson is lightening. I was bigger than Floyd. I say kick the leg. Crack him while he's cold."

On his recovery from a broken leg: "Very good, I'm in a great place. My body is fully healed. They're saying April. I wanted December. April is a lovely run up for me, I'm happy. I've been training. Hopefully I can get the consistency going. It's been almost three years.

MMA fighters in boxing: "One of us in the MMA sphere is going to put a dint in this boxing run. I feel like I'm the person who could do that. I said to put myself and Manny together and it was close about three years ago. I know Saudi Arabia and the UFC have a deal, I'm up for anything."

Former heavyweight world champion Shannon Briggs: "I'm going with Tyson Fury in round five. He'll outbox him for a couple of rounds, then Francis Ngannou is going to make a mistake, and Fury will put him to sleep."

Former British UFC welterweight Dan Hardy: "I think Fury is going to play with this fight for the first three rounds, make Ngannou tired, and then look to take him out in the fourth, fifth and sixth round. Uppercuts and body shots will be key. But I'm here to be surprised and I'm ready for Ngannou to land a shot which will change the look of this fight."

British boxer John Ryder: "Tyson Fury plays with Ngannou until he fancies ending it and then obliterates him. He'll make a show of it for a while, but there's only one winner and that's Tyson Fury."

UFC fighter Nathaniel Wood: "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say Ngannou doesn't have a chance in a boxing match. Maybe a slight chance, because it is the heavyweight division. But he's fighting the best boxer in boxing, it's a completely different sport. I'm hoping he pulls it out of the bag. That would be amazing and show people us MMA fighters can box too."

In Riyadh, the fans have moved from one venue to the main arena and we're now seeing an 'opening ceremony' with some rapping, some dancing, lots of lights and many, many famous people ringside.

Francis Ngannou’s 6ft 4in muscly frame is intimidating, but it was his ferocious punching power which first attracted the attention of the UFC.

At 96 horsepower he holds the world record for the most powerful punch – a strike which has been compared to being hit by a Ford Escort travelling at full speed., external

After just five fights Ngannou was signed by the UFC where he recorded five knockouts in six bouts, before being granted a title shot against Stipe Miocic.

He would lose, before rebuilding himself and avenging that defeat in 2021 with a typical one-punch knockout, to win his first UFC title.

Ngannou’s staggering power, coupled with his finish rate of 10 knockouts in 14 UFC fights, is what caught the eye of Fury, making him such an interesting opponent.

Despite the anticipation around the fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, the bout does not come without controversy.

Saudi Arabia's increasing desire to host elite sporting events has drawn criticism because of the country's human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of "sportswashing" - investing in sport and using high-profile events to improve its international reputation - but Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, said in September that he "does not care" about the criticisms.

Former world heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield, speaking to TNT Sports: "For Tyson Fury, he's a good boxer. He's just got to jab and he'll win the fight. Will he get hit by the big shot? Tyson has been hit by the big shot and got up before. It's hard to jump from one sport to another, Ngannou's chances are slim."

Image source, Getty Images

Francis Ngannou only defended his title once in the UFC – a unanimous decision win over Cyril Gane at the start of 2022 – before his relationship with the promotion broke down.

In a rare move, Ngannou left the UFC at the peak of his powers to pursue "freedom rather than money", as contracts in the organisation prohibit fighters competing in any form of combat sports without permission.

Upon his departure, Ngannou was vocal about his desire to box, with potential fights against fellow heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua being touted.

He signed with MMA promotion the PFL in May, before his fight with Tyson Fury was announced in in July.

Fury says Ngannou could make as much as £8m from their fight, while his last UFC appearance earned him a reported £490,000.

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall: "I think Ngannou's got a chance. It's heavyweights, they punch really, really hard, especially someone like Ngannou. But as far as chances, I think it's a slim one. I think 99 times out of a 100, Fury is going to school him."

Two-weight boxing world champion Natasha Jonas: "If I was Tyson's manager and was advising him, I'd say get a bit of ring rust off, get a couple of rounds. Every now and again, put it on him and show him this is boxing. That you're the daddy. You're the king of the ring. Then get him out of there."

Former boxing world champion Joe Calzaghe: "I think Tyson Fury in a few rounds. Maybe for a couple of rounds he'll be jabbing and moving but I think rounds three or four."

UFC fighter Lerone Murphy: "Tyson Fury's going to outskill him by far. I think it's a totally different game and in the big gloves, I don't know if Ngannou is going to carry that same sort of power."

"We don't get paid for long, we get paid for short, and I'm gonna make it nice and short for him," said Tyson Fury, who is looking for a quick night with him expected to pocket a reported £40m.

"It's like a table tennis champion facing Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final - it's totally different.

"Boxing is a gentlemen's sport. It's a sweet science, the biggest and strongest won't win, it's the man with the best skills."

"I might give him a slick, master boxing performance, not let the ugly man touch me once.

"That would be unbelievable, wouldn't it? I might start dancing, tripling the jab like Apollo Creed, move around, just stick and move."

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says he'll be "disappointed if there's not war" in his fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Have a watch of the clip below...

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, Fabio Wardley retained his British heavyweight title with a TKO victory against David Adeleye in Saudi Arabia.

Wardley landed a clean left hook to put Adeleye down in round seven. Adeleye beat the count but Wardley ended the contest moments later as he put the pressure on by going on the attack again.

"I have boxing IQ. I know how to lead someone on and that's what I did," Wardley said.

"It's the difference in experience. I knew what to do as the rounds went on, I was on form and it's probably the best I've felt.

"Everyone tags this white collar name on me but I've shed that name now."

It is the first time a British title has been contested overseas.

A meeting with Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke could be next on the cards for Ipswich-born Wardley, who now boasts 16 stoppages from 17 fights.

Any potential fight could be held next summer, with Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium mentioned as a possible venue.

Image source, Getty Images

Former WBC heavyweight champion Frank Bruno is ringside for Tyson Fury's fight with Francis Ngannou.

Will he be witnessing another win for Fury tonight?

Earlier today, we got confirmation that 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 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."

Former super-featherweight world champion Barry Jones: "Francis is the best at what he does at his weight and his chosen field. But that's not boxing. Tyson is clearly the number one in the division and doesn't have much trouble with the best active boxers, so having a problem with a guy who has never boxed before seems a bit extreme. I feel Tyson will comfortably play with Ngannou and get rid of him mid-rounds or go all out early and get rid of him as early as he can. The only question will be how good is the chin as Francis Ngannou."

Professional boxer Tommy Fury: "That's a similar affair to what I've had with KSI. That's all that is. It's a crossover fight, it's good for the fans. That's it. Again, how can you compare Ngannou with Tyson? One of the best boxers, if not the best boxer in history, to do it against an MMA guy. You can't compare the two. We all know what's going to happen in that fight. It's just what it is. It's a fan-friendly fight and then he'll move on to serious business in December."

Bellator fighter Leah McCourt: "It's hard to bet against Tyson Fury but Francis is a true champion and has done the impossible before. He looks like he has been preparing in every way he can for this fight. What I would love to see is some of these boxers take to the MMA cage though!"

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou prepares for his heavyweight fight against Tyson Fury with an open workout in Saudi Arabia.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou says his fight against Tyson Fury is a "different animal" to MMA contests.

Ngannou, who has no boxing record, will fight the WBC heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia.

The WBC title is not on the line and the fight will consist of 10 three-minute rounds.

Remarkably, Francis Ngannou will be stepping into the ring to fight Tyson Fury under boxing rules for the first time in his career.

To make your debut against the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion, widely regarded as one of the best boxers of all time, is extraordinary, but a closer look at Ngannou’s past shows the 37-year-old has spent his life defying the odds.

Ngannou was born in Batie, Cameroon, where living in poverty, he was sent to work in a sand quarry as a 12-year-old by his family.

It wasn’t until the age of 26 that Ngannou left the country for France, via a treacherous migrant route, to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

"It was hell on earth. The worst thing is crossing the sea. It was just a huge risk,” said Ngannou.

Ngannou would reach Paris, but arrived with nothing and was homeless, before discovering an MMA gym which provided him a place to train, eat and sleep.

And from there, Ngannou has never looked back. You can read more on his incredible journey here.

As always feel free to get involved so send us your thoughts on all the action via #bbcboxing.