Mike Tyson Posts Francis Ngannou Boxing Training Video Ahead of Tyson Fury Fight
September 1, 2023
Ahead of former UFC star Francis Ngannou's upcoming boxing match against world heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury, legendary boxer Mike Tyson released a video of Ngannou training for the fight.
In video posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ngannou displays good power and quickness inside the ring with Tyson looking on:
Mike Tyson @MikeTysonI am not easily impressed, but <a href="https://twitter.com/francis_ngannou?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Francis_Ngannou</a> knows how to box. THIS is what dedication looks like. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FuryNgannou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FuryNgannou</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RiyadhSeason?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RiyadhSeason</a> <a href="https://t.co/kDK30akHK0">pic.twitter.com/kDK30akHK0</a>
Tyson accompanied the video with a tweet in which he praised Ngannou's "dedication" and noted that the Cameroonian fighter "knows how to box."
Ngannou became a professional MMA fighter in 2013 and made his UFC debut in 2015. At UFC 260 in March 2021, Ngannou beat Stipe Miocic to become UFC heavyweight champion for the first time.
He successfully defended the title against Cyril Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, but when Ngannou and UFC were unable to come to terms on a new contract, he left the promotion and signed with the Professional Fighters League.
The 17-3 MMA fighter has yet to compete in a PFL bout, instead focusing on a massive crossover fight with Fury, scheduled for Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Last month, Ngannou announced in a press release that Mike Tyson would serve as his trainer for the clash with Fury.
Tyson expressed excitement over the partnership and insisted that he and Ngannou are entering the bout with the plan and intention to pull off the upset:
"It is no secret I back Ngannou 100 percent in this face-off of champions. He has one hard punch, and when it lands, it's game over. I am looking forward to working with Ngannou and supporting his transition from the Octagon to the boxing ring.
"He isn't a combat novice; he is a world champion. He knows how to compete when the bell rings, but the key will be combining his energy and combat skills into his punches and using his agility to move swiftly around the ring then delivering the knock-out blow. We're here to win."
In Tyson, Ngannou has perhaps the perfect trainer, as "Iron" Mike is among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
The 57-year-old was a multi-time world champion and reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. In 58 career fights, he went 50-6 with two no contests, and 44 of his wins were by way of knockout.
While Ngannou is an elite MMA heavyweight, he will have his work cut out for him against Fury, who is the reigning WBC heavyweight champion and has never lost in his career, going 33-0-1.
As is often the case for him, the 6'9" Fury will have a significant size advantage over the 6'4" Ngannou, meaning Ngannou will likely have to have a true understanding of the science of boxing in order to compete.