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Just when it seemed as though a super fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones was inevitable, Dana White and the UFC fumbled the bag and let Francis get scooped up by the PFL in free agency. Well, now a new super fight is on the horizon, which has Ngannou trying his hand at boxing against the sport’s top dog, Tyson Fury. With this epic crossover bout reportedly being a done deal, we now have betting odds for such an occasion.
As expected, online gambling site Sportsbetting.ag has the boxer opening up as a sizable betting favorite over the mixed martial artist. Fury is opening up with a -500 moneyline, and throwing $100 at those odds would net you a meager profit of just $20. As for Francis, his opening betting line is nestled with a large underdog value of +300. Dropping a hundo on Ngannou potentially pays out $400 altogether.
Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury betting odds
Francis Ngannou is actually getting better odds against Fury than an actual boxer, Dillian Whyte, did in his 2022 bout with Tyson. Go figure. In my humble opinion, these odds should vastly wider than what they are now, considering the lack of actual boxing experience possessed by Ngannou. In Fury’s last match, his opponent Derek Chisora was a +1200 underdog. That seems more along the lines of what the odds for Fury vs. Francis should be. Does that mean that Tyson’s moneyline actually holds value? Yes, but I’m about to explain why you should hold off on placing any bets on this bout.
Why you should avoid betting on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury
Before you start screaming ‘easy money’ and take out a second mortgage to lay it all on Fury, you might want to read the disclaimers. The betting site that released these odds also have a few stipulations surrounding this potential event, which is nothing new, but there is one specific caveat to be weary of. For action, Ngannou vs. Fury must take place in 2023, be boxing only, and can use any type of glove. All of that is pretty normal, but things get interesting when it states that a winner must be declared at ringside.
But wait. What’s so weird about that? The winner is always declared at ringside, right? Well normally that is true, however, with this deal not actually being inked, there’s still a high possibility that the match could be an exhibition, and not a professional bout. If that’s the case, then there will not be an official winner declared, thus all wagers would be voided. So basically whatever you bet on the match would just sit in the bookie’s account until it’s eventually returned, which is basically the same thing as giving the bookmaker an interest free loan. If you’re going to be a degenerate, at least be a smart one and avoid gambling on exhibitions.
*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.
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