Mike Tyson reacts as Netflix quietly releases Battle of the Baddest, the story of the Ngannou/Fury fight

By David Hollingsworth
published

New Netflix doc Battle of the Baddest goes behind the scenes of the fight to determine the 'baddest man on the planet'

Francis Ngannou knocks down Tyson Fury in the Battle of the Baddest fight
Francis Ngannou knocks down Tyson Fury (Image credit: Getty Images)

Netflix has quietly released Battle of the Baddest, a major new documentary about the controversial Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight.

The documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the contest which nearly saw one of the biggest upsets in sporting history. Indeed, Mike Tyson in the documentary comments it would have been the biggest upset in the history of sport. "Not just boxing, sport".

Ex-UFC fighter Francis Ngannou was given little chance of beating WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in the 2023 clash in Saudi Arabia. Hardly surprising as it was his first professional boxing match.

But Ngannou knocked Fury to the floor, leading to the prospect of a major upset. However, Fury controversially went on to win in a split decision victory.

Now, the Netflix documentary promises to tell the inside story of the fight. Mike Tyson, who trained Ngannou for the contest, tweeted: "Battle of the Baddest documentary is now available on Netflix. See the backstory of Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury getting ready for the biggest heavyweight clash of 2023."

Setting up the one-hour documentary, the makers say: "From the buildup through fight night, this all-access doc chronicles the boxing showdown between WBC champion Tyson Fury and MMA legend Francis Ngannou."

The documentary atmospherically opens on the night of the fight, declaring that the bout will "determine who is the baddest man on the planet".

Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou at a Battle of the Baddest press conference

The boxers speak at a press conference before the big fight (Image credit: Getty Images)

All the main people involved in the fight give interviews, including Mike Tyson. The documentary reveals how the fight came together. Promoter Frank Warren says: "Who is the baddest man on the planet? We’re going to find out who it is."

The documentary ends with the controversial split decision, with one judge scoring it 95-94 for Ngannou, while the other two judges scored it 96-93 and 95-94 to Fury. Now, everyone is wondering if we will see a Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou rematch...

Battle of the Baddest is available now on Netflix.

David Hollingsworth
David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!