Fury-Ngannou fight gets a truly earth-shattering promo from Accenture Song and Droga5

The heavyweight boxers trade punches that crack walls, floors and ceilings in cinematic film from Seb Edwards

Published On
Oct 12, 2023
Francis Ngannou reading in a bathtub with the tiled wall cracking behind him

Editor's Pick

The heavyweight boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28, should be an explosive affair. And it’s getting advertising to match, with Accenture Song and Droga5 crafting an extraordinary 90-second spot that’s already being hailed as one of the best boxing promos in history.

The spot, titled “Rumble,” features Fury and Ngannou feeling the pressure of the impending showdown, as each man’s training sends taunting shockwaves to his opponent from afar in a series of ever-escalating, fantastical assaults.

Director Seb Edwards, himself a former competitive kickboxer and fight fan, imbues the violence with cinematic style. But the film is also tinged with levity, which adds to its appeal. There’s a certain humor to the one-upmanship, at least until the end, when the psychological metaphors give way to intense hand-to-hand combat.

The soundtrack—Betty Chung’s 1968 cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang”—also adds to the richness of the vibe. The song ties in lyrically, but is also cool and aloof, lending further juxtaposition with the imagery.

 

“The hype and the drama and the spectacle of this fight needed a promo that did it justice,” said Jason Kreher, chief creative officer North America at Accenture Song. “Every decision we made was in service of making this insane spot look beautiful. As always, Jack Handey said it best: ‘To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there’s no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.’”

“I’ve been a lifelong boxing fan, and fight promos have always been mind-numbingly generic,” said Edwards. “I wanted this film to be an exception. They are both incredible people, and I wanted to capture their unique personalities and fighting styles in a way that was entertaining and operatic. These types of projects are becoming rare now, so big thanks to the brilliant Song crew for making it happen.”

Accenture Song and Droga5 (an Accenture agency) have been promoting this fight for some time. In early September, at the announcement ceremony for the fight, the agencies unveiled portraits of the two fighters dressed as kings—outfitted by costume designer Sandy Powell (a three-time Oscar winner) and shot by British fashion photographer Nick Knight.

Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou posing as kings in a fight poster

“This is very much uncharted territory for both of the fighters, and we took that as jumping off point for the creative,” said Tres Colacion, executive creative director at Droga5. “Nick is a photographer who seeks out the ‘never seen before,’ he’s never shot sport, and that made everyone very excited.” 

A version of the film posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Turki Al-Sheikh, minister of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has been viewed more than 160 million times. Al-Sheikh has also been posting other Accenture Song and Droga5 work for the fight, including Las Vegas Sphere creative below.

Fury, who hails from Britain, has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title since 2020. Ngannou, of Cameroon, is a former UFC champion making his professional boxing debut. The fight will be a pay-per-view event in the U.S. 

Credits

Date
Oct 12, 2023
Client :
General Entertainment Authority / Saudi Media Company
Agency :
Accenture Song
Agency :
Droga5
Chief Executive Officer :
David Droga
Chief Creative Officer :
Jason Kreher
Creative Director :
Matt Sorrell
Creative Director :
Alex Romans
Chief Creative Officer :
Scott Bell
Group Creative Director :
Tres Colacion
Group Creative Director :
Giancarlo Rodas
Creative Director :
Bastien Grisolet
Creative Director :
Nathaniel Lawlor
Creative Director :
Tom Coleman
Creative Director :
Derek Lui
Senior Art Director :
Cara Cecchini
Senior Copywriter :
Mia Rafowitz
Design Director :
Dan Pulito
Senior Designer :
Kenisha Rullan
Designer :
Kalissa White
Global Chief Marketing Officer :
Sean Lackey
Executive Group Account Director :
Sharif El Rabiey
Account Director :
Anthony Gavranic
Account Director :
Nivie Roberts
Account Supervisor :
Maddy Bell
Account Supervisor :
Melanie Fougeres
Account Manager :
Brendan Woeppel
Account Manager :
Nichole Murdock
Co-Head of Production :
Ruben Mercadal
Co-Head of Production :
Jenn Mann
Executive Producer Film :
Dave Stephenson
Senior Producer Film :
Roger Moran
Senior Producer Film :
Patrick Wood
Associate Producer Film :
Madeleine Wilkinson
Associate Producer Film :
Harit Muttreja
Director of Art Production :
Cliff Lewis
Senior Producer Art :
Dagmar Wong
Executive Producer Print & Fabrication :
Alyssa Dolman
Senior Producer Interactive :
Manini Gupta
Senior Music Supervisor :
Mike Ladman
Junior Music Supervisor :
Mara Techam
Head of Business Affairs :
Dan Simonetti
Associate Director & Senior Business Affairs Manager :
Tom Vendittelli
Senior Talent Manager :
Sunny Valencia
Co-Chief Strategy Officer :
Colleen Leddy
Co-Chief Strategy Officer :
Harry Roman-Torres
Group Strategy Director :
Drew Simel
Group Communications Strategy Director :
Eric Tsai
Senior Communications Strategist :
Madeline Dooney
Group Project Manager :
Alex Robinson
Senior Project Manager :
Gregory Boone Jr.
Minister & Chairman :
Turki Alalshikh
Chief Executive Officer :
Mohamed Al-Khereiji
Chief Executive Officer :
Khalid Alkhudair
Head of Marketing :
Mazin Alshanti
Production Company :
Park Pictures
Director :
Seb Edwards
Executive Producer :
Jackie Kelman Bisbee
Executive Producer :
Scott Howard
Executive Producer :
Fran Thompson
Head of Production :
Chelsea Schwiering
EP :
Michelle O'Brien
Producer :
Laurie Boccaccio
Director of Photography :
Adam Arkapaw
Production Designer :
Maria Djurkovic
Art Director :
Gavin Fitch
1st AD :
George Walker
Line Producer :
Jane Lloyd
Photography :
Nick Knight
Executive Producer :
Charlotte Knight
Producer :
Hollie Bellis
Costume Designer :
Sandy Powell
Set Designer :
Andrew Tomlinson
Retouching :
Epilogue
3D Design :
SHOWstudio
Art Director :
Matthew Gossage
Director of Technology :
Matthew Gossage
Junior Creative Technologist :
Izzie Koyander
Editorial :
Cosmo Street
Editor :
Tom Lindsay
Assistant Editor :
Joey Henshaw
Assistant Editor :
Alexandra Jimenez
Head of Production :
Anne Lai
Post Production :
Time Based Arts
Colorist :
Simone Grattarola
2D Lead :
Stephen Grasso
3D Lead :
Mike Battcock
3D Lead :
Ben Cantor
2D Artist :
Bernie Varela
2D Artist :
Adam Fenwick
2D Artist :
Eleonora Laddago
2D Artist :
Leo Weston
2D Artist :
Liam Doyle
2D Artist :
Lucy Lawrence
2D Artist :
Ludvig Hallenius
2D Artist :
Mike Outlaw
2D Artist :
Olivia O'Neil
2D Artist :
Prince Yladom
2D Artist :
Ria Shroff
2D Artist :
Andrius Jurkevicius
3D Artist :
Bethan Williams
3D Artist :
Joe Ibbett
3D Artist :
Jordan Carter
3D Artist :
Jordan Coles
3D Artist :
Maxime Ponsart
3D Artist :
Teodora Retegan
3D Artist :
Ashley West
Matte Painting :
Lee Matthews
Executive Producer :
Tom Johnson
Producer :
Tom Manton
Music Writer :
Sonny Bono
Performed by :
Betty Chung
Sound :
750 MPH
Sound Design & Mix :
Sam Ashwell
Audio Producer :
Olivia Ray
Interactive Production Company :
SHOWstudio
Design and Animation :
GRIF.Studio
Production & Innovation Studio :
UNITS
Project Director :
Sara-Lee Rost
Executive Producer :
Adam Sargent
Executive Producer :
Erin Ray
Executive Producer :
Richard Loader
Producer :
Zoja Micunoviv
Producer :
Ludovica Musumeci
Executive Creative Director :
Alex Horton
Creative Director :
Shelley Adamson
Creative Director :
Tung Yi
Creative Director :
Zlaten del Castillo
Tech Lead :
Javier Velazquez Traut
Business Director :
Tony Lehal

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