Tyson Fury, the current WBC heavyweight world champion in boxing, recently traded playful verbal jabs with former Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand in advance of his fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The crossover fight between the two divisions is scheduled for October 28 in Saudi Arabia, and Fury, who is heavily favored to win, didn’t hold back in making a comparison between the possible result and a memorable play in soccer history.
During an interview with Rio Ferdinand for TNT Sports, Tyson Fury asked about the threat posed by his underdog opponent, Francis Ngannou.
The boxing champion didn’t hesitate to point out Ngannou’s advantages, calling him a formidable opponent who stood about 6 feet 5 or 6 inches tall, weighed about 18 to 19 stone, and had tremendous punching power. Fury even made light of the fact that Ngannou holds the record for the hardest punch ever recorded in a Guinness World Records entry.
Tyson Fury in an interview with Rio Ferdinand discussing the Francis Ngannou fight: “The biggest risk is fighting an MMA fighter and I’m the world heavyweight champion. What happens if he beats me? Ridiculed. It’d be like Man United getting beat 7-0 off Liverpool.” [@BoxingOnTNT] pic.twitter.com/kJywVOZfdi
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 28, 2023
However, what caught everyone’s attention was Fury’s humorous yet sharp comparison. He quipped, “The biggest risk of all is fighting an MMA fighter, and I’m the world heavyweight champion. What happens if he beats me? Ridiculed. It’d be like Manchester United getting beat 7-0 off Liverpool. How do you come back from that?”
This witty analogy instantly brought to mind Manchester United’s humbling defeat at the hands of Liverpool during the last season where the Red Devils went down by 7 goals to nil. The comparison drew a chuckle from Ferdinand and set the tone for a lighthearted exchange between the two sports personalities.
Mike Tyson sees Tyson Fury as the clear favorite against Francis Ngannou
Mike Tyson thinks Ngannou’s victory over WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on October 28 would rank as the biggest upset ever witnessed in the entertainment industry.
Tyson’s inclusion in Francis Ngannou’s training camp has generated discussion and raised eyebrows. Tyson claims that rather than imparting specific boxing techniques, his main contribution to Ngannou’s performance has been to instill confidence.
Mike Tyson teaches Francis Ngannou some technique on a straight to the body. pic.twitter.com/p690Vkj4Bb
— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) September 27, 2023
Tyson stated emphatically that he has not tried to impart his own boxing style onto Ngannou. “We’re different people. We have different styles,” Tyson asserted. He believes that Ngannou will box in his unique way and that this approach will serve him well in the ring.
Francis Ngannou will reach a major turning point in his career as a professional boxer in the highly anticipated ten-round bout against Tyson Fury. However, this fight will not be for Fury’s WBC heavyweight title. With contract disputes and a contentious exit from the UFC, where he was once the heavyweight champion, Ngannou’s journey to this crossover superfight has been anything but ordinary.
