Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou LIVE: The ‘Gypsy King’ has his forehead split OPEN by a clash of heads in fiesty Round 2, with Mail Sport’s JEFF POWELL in Riyadh to score it round-by-round

This has been an unbelievable performance from Ngannou. He is not letting up as he continues to push forwards, but Fury has a better round here.

4 – Caught again by the heavy handed Ngannou, Fury was having to clinch at times to keep him at bay. Although he edged the fourth with  a late burst of action. Fury 10-9 Ngannou

What just happened! Fury has been knocked down!

It’s a left hook that puts Fury on his backside. He sits up and then gets back up to see out the round but that is a huge shock.

3– No exhibition this.  A serious fight. Tyson was rocked back by a heavy left. Then a monster of the same variety and here was the first sensation.  Delivered by the UFC star. Down went Tyson and although he rose from adversity as usual, the shock was as palpable in the crowd as in the ring. Fury 8-10 Ngannou

Fury has switched to southpaw but Ngannou is already doing better than expected. Not much landed in that round, and Fury is bleeding a little from his forehead.

2 – Ngannou was showing better ringcraft than expected and Fury switched to southpaw to try to confuse. It worked to some extent but not enough to save the round. Fury 9-10 Ngannou

Fury gets straight to work as he lands a big right hand at the start of the round.

Ngannou is not overawed and is looking to move forward, ut Fury lands another big right hand in the final 30 seconds of the round.

1 – Fury was stripped and itching to go while Michael Buffer was still getting us Ready to Rumble. Then he told Ngannou: ‘I’m gonna bash you up.’ The first bash, a right, came from Ngannou but after some fending Fury imposed his left jab and took the round with a hefty right. Fury 10-9 Ngannou

Buffer has said those five iconic words, and it is now time for our main event to get underway!

First up, we have the Cameroonian national anthem for Ngannou.

We then move straight onto ‘God Save the King’, and now it’s back to Buffer to complete the introductions.

Fury loves a good dance tune and he is making his way to ‘Pretty Woman’!

Probably didn’t pick that one in advance, but that’s Fury all over. He gets a little jog on and is now commanding the stage.

His father John is carrying his belts as he makes his way to the ring.

Michael Bugger is in the ring and introduces Ngannou first.

Drake’s hit ‘Started from the Bottom’ plays around the arena, before Ngannou walks out wearing his own crown and robe.

The music then switches to another Drake hit ‘God’s Plan’ and Ngannou makes his way down the platform to the ring.

Fury calls himself the Gypsy King, and he looks like royalty as he prepares to enter the ring.

He has just been seen in his dressing rom wearing a crown and gown for his ring-walk.

Amir Khan has been talking up a comeback to fight Manny Pacquiao this week and he is at it again tonight, believing it would be a great fight between two boxers that used to share the same gym.

Cristiano Ronaldo just appeared on the big screen as he made his way to his seat and there seemed to be a few boos and jeers.

That’s a bit of a surprise, but then I suppose we could be in for a very unpredictable next hour here.

He appears on the screen again and there are more boos. He doesn’t look happy at all!

TNT Sports have just shown Ngannou on the pads, and he is set to make his entrance any minute now.

Up next, it will be Fury and Ngannou making their way to the ring. I’m expecting big entrances from both men.

The main event ring has been hidden away all evening, but it is now emerging from beneath the stage!

I suspect the opening ceremony is now almost done, and the fighters will be on the way very soon.

The singing briefly stops as we move onto a group of people on-stage drumming away.

It’s a catchy enough tune, but we’re really just waiting for the next big name to take to the stage.

Singer Becky G takes to the stage accompanied by several dancers and lights up the arena. Not sure how long this is going to go on for, but it’s been pretty decent so far.

There will be a boxing match at some point, I promise!

From Flowdan to Lil Baby as he performs ‘Errbody’.

Again, he gets a big reception, and it’s straight onto the next act. They’re not hanging about!

Rapper Flowdan is the first to perform on stage.

He gets a big round of applause from the crowd after performing his hit ‘Rumble’.

The stage is set and it’s opening ceremony time!

The Brazilian Ronaldo is in attendance in Riyadh and cannot wait for the action to get underway.

Evander Holyfield is a heavyweight legend and is now supporting the next generation.

He has declared himself ‘very excited’ for the main event as he prepares to take his seat ringside.

Frampton feels Ngannou’s only chance to is to come out ‘winging’ from the opening bell.

Let’s see if he goes straight for Fury, or tries to bide his time early on.

We’ve had over four hours of action, but there will now be an ‘opening ceremony’ ahead of the main event.

There has been no expense spared in Saudi Arabia this week, so this could be pretty spectacular.

The main event is a little over half an hour away, so let’s see who fighters, pundits and celebrities have picked to win tonight’s fight.

Conor McGregor has told TNT Sports that Ngannou’s best chance is to try and catch Fury early on. He has also joked that Ngannou should throw a kick if he starts to fall behind!

McGregor has also been speaking about his own future, and wants to return to the UFC in April.

Carl Frampton believes there is big pressure on Fury tonight, as he feels boxing will be a ‘laughing stock’ if he loses.

Can Fury step up to the challenge?

Fury has just spoken to TNT Sports in his dressing room and has vowed to ‘put on a show’.

He is a huge favourite, but insists he has taken Ngannou ‘very seriously’.

So the undercard is now over and that all took place outside.

We now move inside to a separate ring for tonight’s main event.

Wardley appeared tohave the edge in stamina and never panicked tonight.

He has proved he is the best on the domestic scene, and a move to European level may not be too far away.

Adeleye was still frustrated in his post-fight interview but he was told by Steve Bunce that the stoppage was correct.

He now appears to have settled down, and takes the defeat well in the end.

Wardley believes he has one more domestic fight left before moving on and has wants to get Frazer Clarke in the ring next.

The pair looked set to fight earlier this year, but Clarke was pulled out of purse bids at the final hour.

Adeleye was furious after the referee jumped there and pushed the referee away in portest.

Emotions running high, but he may be in a spot of bother for that.

Fury and Ngannou have been pictured in their dressing rooms as they prepare for battle.

Fury is sporting an England rugby shirt after their third-place finish last night, while Ngannou is wearing headphones to blok out any noise as he gets his hands wrapped.

Wardley has pulled it out the bag to stop Adeleye in the seventh!

He was starting to get on top in the previous round, and a left hook puts Adeleye down heavily.

Adeleye gets back to his feet and tries tofight back, but his legs are all over the place and the referee jumps in.

Adeleye landed some good left hooks at the start of the sixth round, but Wardley holds firm and is now starting to find the target with his jab and right hand.

Adeleye sticks his tongue out but he is bleeding from the mouth and looks a little tired.

Halfway through this intriguing clash.

We are couting down to the main event and Ngannou has just been interviewed in his dressing room.

He has vowed to ‘take his opportunity when it comes’. Let’s see if he can pull of a huge upset in just over an hour’s time.

Wardley pushing forwards in the fourth and looks to briefly trouble Adeleye.

Adeleye swings in a massive left hook, though, that only just misses the target, offering a reminder of how dangrous he still is.

Wardley tries a wild overhand right that whistles past Adeleye’s head. He looks into the crowd smiling after avoiding that one.

Both men are throwing punches with bad intentions, but neither has been hurt yet.

We told you earlier that Israel Adesanya has put big money on Ngannou tonight, and he has now been seen in the dressing room embracing the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Only around 90 minutes until main event time now.

A couple of good right hands at the end of the round for Wardley, but Adeleye is holding his own.

Very little to separate the two men after two rounds.

Adeleye lands a good right hand early on, but there’s not too much of note after that.

Both fighters swinging in punches in the final minute, but not a great deal landing yet.

The co-main event is just moments away, with both men now in the ring and the announcements underway.

Well here’s someone we probably didn’t expect to see!

Award-winning rapper Kanye West has just arrived for tonight’s main event

TNT Sports have been talking about Wardley dealing with a cut in the build-up that may have affected his sparring.

Let’s see if that plays a part in tonight’s contest which should be getting underway shortly.

It’s a British title fight between Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye that will finish the undercard.

Both men have been doing plenty of talking in the build-up, and it’s now time to back it up.

Lennox Lewis fully expects Tyson Fury to get the job done, and has just told TNT Sports he’s predicting a fifth-round knockout.

Mike Tyson is fully backing his man Francis Ngannou tonight.

Speaking to TNT Sports, he’s declared himself ‘very excited’ for tonight, and expects heavyweight boxing to have a new champion.

Frank Bruno was involved in some of British boxing’s biggest fights in the 1980s and 90s and is now at ringside to take in the undercard action ahead of Fury-Ngannou.

Lennox Lewis has also popped in to speak to TNT Sports. British heavyweight royalty in Riyadh tonight.

Dan Hardy has claimed Fury would have a better chance of beating Ngannou inside the Octagon than Ngannou has of beating Fury inside a boxing ring.

That is a huge claim to make just hours before Ngannou and Fury face each other inside the squared circle!

Fury arrived around half an hour ago, and Ngannou is now in the building.

He arrives with sunglasses on and looks the part. He appears in a relaxed mood, but that could all change when he is standing opposite Fury in a couple of hours.

When he lost to Joe Joyce last year, it was difficult to see where Parker went next.

But he has bounced back well this year, and delivered a ‘fantastic performance’, according to Carl Frampton.

Parker puts his foot on the gas and stops Kean with a peach of an uppercut!

He was just starting to find his rhythm, and Kean unravelled quickly.

Beautiful work from Parker there, and he has now had a couple of very good performances on the trot.

The main event is drawing nearer, and we have more sporting greats arriving for it.

Former world champions Ricky Hatton and Frank Bruno are in Riyadh, while Brazil’s World Cup winner Ronaldo is also in the building.

Both fighters letting their hands go in the first round.

Parker probably edges it with his jabs and a couple of quick combinations, but Kean landed enough to show he won’t just roll over.

Parker makes his way to the ring in a must-win fight for him if he is to get back into the title picture.

He takes on Canada’s Simon Kean tonight.

Joseph Parker is up next, and British fight fans have become very familiar with the Kiwi over the years.

Parker has fought in the UK on a number of occasions, losing to Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce, but he has beaten Tyson Fury’s cousin Hughie.

Former MMA star Dan Hardy is tipping Fury to get the job done, but has admitted he is not ruling Ngannou out completely, and has warned the Gypsy King against complacency.

Tyon Fury has arrived ahead of another huge night in his career.

He looks as calm as ever and will be a huge favourite when he gets in the ring in a few hours’ time.

That was a scarily good performance from Makhmudov and he thinks he is ready for anybody.

Hard to disagree with that based on what we’ve just seen.

I said Makhmudov could punch!

A total mismatch here as he sends Wright to the canvas inside the opening minute. Wright just about makes it back to his feet but then takes more heavy shots and the referee has no option but to jump in. 70 seconds and over!

Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov is up next, and he has won 16 of his 17 fights inside the distance. We could be in for another early finish here.

He faces America’s Junior Wright, who is a late-notice replacement.

It’s a who’s who of famous faces tonight.

We’ve already mentione that Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor will be at ringside, but we will also see Oleksandr Usyk, Manny Pacquiao, Lennox Lewis and more!

High praise from former world champion Carl Frampton, who believes Itauma can go right to the top of the heavyweight division.

Remember, he is still only 18 years old!

Itauma seemed to hurt Bernath with every shot, and he has just nonchalantly said in his post-fight interview ‘the power is there’.

We certainly saw that just then.

Itauma looks a huge prospect and he sends Bernath to the canvas straight away.

Bernath bravely gets back to his feet, but he is a sitting duck as Itauma tees off.

The referee mercifully jumps in to spare him any more punishment. That was over very quickly!

We briefly just lost audio on what is proving to be a difficult evening for TNT Sports so far.

It’s now time for Moses Itauma, the 18-year-old heavyweight sensation.

Itauma has looked mightily impressive in his short career so far, but is expected to get a tougher test tonight against Hungary’s Istvan Bernath.

We have live pictures again!

Should have some more live action very soon.

This is not a great start to the evening, with coverage still down.

We have been without pictures fro over 20 minutes now, but hopefully we will get a resolution soon.

Tyson Fury is the master of the mind games and has been playing them again this week, despite being largely respectful of Ngannou’s ability.

Mike Tyson does not expect Ngannou to be affected by the mind games, though, and has backed him to focus on the job in hand.

We have currently lost pictures and audio from Saudi Arabia, with TNT Sports’ coverage going down.

Hopefully it is just a small issue that will be fixed soon.

Ngannou has made a huge name for himself in recent years, and has chosen to splash out on cars.

The 37-year-old has a £421k Rolls Royce, and you suspect he will be able to add to his collection after he receives a career-high purse tonight.

Bakole is jubilant after his big win and was asked whether he wants to fight in Saudi Arabia again.

‘Of course!’ he replied. You suspect more big fights are on the way for Bakole after that win.

Not something you hear every day in Saudi Arabia I’m sure. We have bagpipes blaring out around the arena after Bakole’s win.

He deserves the tribute as well after an excellent display to stop Takam in such dominant fashion.

Total dominance from Bakole as he stops Takam in the fourth round.

Bakole, who fights out of Scotland, did the damage with vicious body shots, and then went upstairs to the head to leave Takam on wobbly legs.

A good stoppage from the referee, and that’s an excellent performance from Bakole.

If Fury comes through tonight unscathed he is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.

The pair have traded verbal blows over the last 12 months, but were full of respect for one another when they came face-to-face yesterday.

Usyk will hope Fury has no issues tonight so he can finally get his shot at the Gypsy King.

This fight has started to spark into life. Bakole seemed to briefly hurt Takam at the start of the third, but Takam fought back to push his opponent to the ropes.

Bakole then begins to land heavy hooks in the final minute of the round but Takam just about holds on. Great action!

Fury has been meeting some sporting legend

s this week, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

When the pair came face-to-face on Friday, Fury hailed Ronaldo as the greatest footballer ever, snubbing Lionel Messi, who is set to win his eighth Ballon d’Or this week.

It’s Bakole on the front foot in the early stages using his jab to control the distance. Takam yet to throw much back to stop Bakole coming forward.

First up tonight we have Britain’s Martin Bakole against Carlos Takam.

Takam is a former world title challenger, having taken Anthony Joshua 10 rounds back in 2017, and should provide Bakole with a stern test tonight.

Mail Sport has started a new boxing podcast this week. We have ‘The Jab’ for fans to listen to ahead of tonight’s huge fight.

It is all heavyweights tonight in Riyadh, with TNT Sports’ coverage just getting underway.

The undercard will be starting very shortly.

Tyson Fury was named after Mike Tyson, but ‘Iron’ Mike will be in the opposite corner tonight.

Tyson is a big fan of Fury, but will be plotting his downfall in just a few hours’ time.

Chris Eubank Jr will be in attendance tonight and has confirmed he is on his way to the arena as we speak.

The 34-year-old could be in a huge fight himself soon enough, with talks currently ongoing for his grudge match with Conor Benn to be rearranged.

Tonight’s co-main event is an intriguing British heavyweight clash between Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye.

A rivalry has been brewing between the pair for some time now, but they will finally settle matters in the ring tonight before we move onto Fury-Ngannou.

Crossover fights are becoming more and more popular – we only had KSI-Tommy Fury a fortnight ago.

But not everyone is a fan of them. Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke has hit out at them, and believes former fighters would be ‘rolling in their graves’ at the current state of the sport.

Celebrities from across the globe have decided this is the fight to be at.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be in attendance at tonight’s fight, while Rio Ferdinand, the Brazilian Ronaldo and even rapper Eminem have also been spotted in Saudi.

Fury and Ngannou are expected in the ring at around 11pm tonight (UK time).

Stick with us throughout the evening, though, for an entertaining undercard with several Brits and Joseph Parker all in action.

There’s nothing like full support from close friends.

That’s exactly what Israel Adesanya has given Ngannou, as he has placed two separate bets on ‘The Predator’ to win tonight. The former UFC middleweight

champion is in line to take home upwards of £100,000 if he wins both bets.

Fury-Ngannou is proving to be the most popular fight of the year in terms of the celebrities it is attracting.

Conor McGregor is in town for the fight, while a number of boxing legends have also arrived in Riyadh over the last 24 hours.

Fury and Ngannou tipped the scales yesterday and the former came in five pounds heavier than his opponent.

Weighing in at 277lbs, just shy of 20 stone, Fury is nine pounds heavier than his last fight against Derek Chisora for tonight’s Saudi showdown.

It is hard not to feel pleased for Ngannou as he is set to get his biggest payday after coming from a humble background.

Mail Sport has taken a look at his remarkable story that has seen him go from walking six miles to school to becoming one of the biggest glo

bal stars in combat sports.

Welcome to our live coverage of Tyson Fury’s huge crossover boxing match against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

We will bring you all the build-up to this evening’s card in Saudi Arabia, with the undercard due to get underway at 6pm.