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Francis Ngannou is finally getting his dream fight after leaving the UFC. A year ago, the ex-UFC heavyweight champion and the promotion failed to come to terms on a new contract, so upon completion of the old one with a unanimous decision against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou left. As a free agent, he pursued some of the most lucrative post-fight UFC options, which included a massive showdown against Tyson Fury. Most thought it was too far-fetched for Ngannou, others hoped he got it so a fight between two of the most hard-hitting punchers could happen. It took some time, but Fury vs. Ngannou was finally announced and the world got its next boxing spectacle.
Despite having his next challenger scheduled, Fury decided to sign on for another one a few months removed from his fight with Ngannou. After years of back and forth, the WBC heavyweight champion agreed to meet Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed showdown targeted for either Dec. 2023 or Jan. 2024. Fury apparently isn’t too worried about the potential threat Ngannou poses and the reason for that is due to some of his upcoming opponent’s most recent open workouts.
Tyson Fury sees easy win in Francis Ngannou
Since announcing his fight with Tyson Fury was happening, Francis Ngannou enlisted a boxing legend to help him prepare. ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson joined Ngannou’s corner, and we recently got a glimpse of what the new duo was working on in anticipation for Fury. Unfortunately, the Ngannou-Tyson open workout didn’t inspire a ton of confidence in his chances.
“Just seen Francis Ngannou and Mike Tyson and that so-called trainer what’s got the pads on, seen the open workout. I hope he’s kidding along and he’s playing possum here,“ said Tyson Fury’s father, John. “I hope that’s a joke man and intended to be a laugh. Because if it’s not, he ain’t got a prayer. He ain’t got a cat in hell’s chance. He won’t get out of the first round. It’s probably going to be Tyson’s quickest knockout.
“But you know what? It’s got to be kidology that. It’s got to be fun and games. Because if that’s what he’s got, well, God help him, he’ll get smashed to bits. That’s all I’m saying, mate. That’s embarrassing. If that’s what he can do on a public workout, don’t bother doing a public workout. It’s a disgrace.”
Like his father, Tyson Fury agrees that his fight against Ngannou should be a relatively easy one. In a recent interview with TNT Boxing, Fury outlined his entire gameplan for his fight against the former UFC heavyweight champion.
“I’m gonna knock him out inside six rounds,” Fury crowed (transcript via Mail Online). “And shall I tell you how I’m going to do it? Get on the front foot, high arm, sticking him with a punishing jab, 19, 20 stone in the face, boom, boom, boom, bust him up, swell his eyes out, and then feint, slip, bang! K.O.”
“On the front foot, not running away. On the front foot, hand-eye, let him hit the shoulder, slip, slip, bang, slip, slip, bang. Down in a heap. Listen, no one can take my power. Nobody. These heavyweights don’t have a chance.”
While they don’t seem to agree on much, Fury and Usyk do agree on this.
Oleksandr Usyk doesn’t see serious competition in Fury/Ngannou
Now that Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s prolonged fight negotiations have come to an end, some are worried about the shape the latter will be in after fighting Francis Ngannou. Not Usyk, though, as the Ukranian star doesn’t seem to have much fear that Fury might be too banged up after to make a quick turnaround for their mega-fight.
“Promotion? Top-notch. Actual fight quality? Well, I’ve seen better sparring sessions in local gyms,” Usyk said in a recent interview, adding that Ngannou had serious accomplishments in MMA. “But UFC isn’t boxing. And Fury, well, he isn’t quite the boxer he used to be.”
Guess we’ll have to see how it turns out. Fury vs. Ngannou goes down on Sat., Oct. 28, live from Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for updates on the event as it approaches.
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