Mike Tyson took a cheeky jab at Dana White related to Francis Ngannou in a viral video posted by the Instagram account of the boxing legend’s podcast, Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson. The UFC president was reminded of the former Heavyweight champion that had refused to re-sign with the promotion.
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Tyson said, “I’m gonna be training Francis Ngannou fight Tyson Fury. Come on, I know you must’ve heard that.”
To this, White responded, “I didn’t hear that yet, no.”
Ngannou will be making his boxing debut as he takes on World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury later this year. The British boxer holds the title since 2020. The fight will be counted as an official bout which will consist of ten rounds. However, Fury’s title will not be at stake.
Iron Mike #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/0EIN8i60y7
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) August 4, 2023
Ngannou’s recent training pictures with Mike Tyson show that he is in fantastic shape for the big fight. He uploaded those pictures to his X account.
Dana White once scoffed at the idea of Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury
Ngannou made his UFC debut in December 2015. He won that fight against Luis Henrique during the UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2. On January 20, 2018, Ngannou fought for the UFC Heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic. The French-Cameroonian fighter lost that bout and later got his chance again against the same fighter on March 27, 2021. He won that fight and the title via KO.
He successfully defended the title for the first time in January 2022 against Ciryl Gane. However, his contract issues started from then. His demands were scoffed at by the UFC president. It was reported that Ngannou wanted to include a boxing bout against Fury in his contract.
“Fury & Ngannou isn’t a lock to happen.. I don’t love the crossover fights because they’re a waste of time, energy & money” ~@danawhite#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UgQ0nyEA20
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 3, 2022
“I don’t love the crossover fights. I don’t love ’em,” White said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“‘Cause they’re fu****g’ stupid, fu****g’ waste of time, energy, and money. … It’s silly, but I get it. Boxing is a massive advantage for Tyson Fury. Ngannou just wrestled Ciryl Gane. …If you know anything about fighting, it’s a silly conversation,” he added.
Reports kept emerging about Ngannou’s contract in 2022. Rumors indicated that he was looking at not renewing the contract because his demands were not met. The final decision was announced in January 2023.
Francis Ngannou’s demands were not met by UFC President Dana White
Among other things in Francis Ngannou’s list of demands, according to The Mirror, his three key demands included, “health insurance for fighters, a fighter advocate at board meetings, and a new sponsorship deal.”
After UFC announced that Ngannou was being released, according to GiveMeSport, White said, “We offered Francis a deal that would’ve made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company. More than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down.
“Francis is in a place now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. He feels like he’s in a position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money, so we’re going to let him do that and release him from our contract.”
Ngannou, on the other hand, admitted that he asked for a lot. However, he was not hoping to get everything. He had also asked for three fights: Jon Jones, a third match against Miocic, and a Jones rematch.
“I asked for a sponsorship,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour. “I asked for health insurance. Couldn’t have. I asked for a fighters advocate in board meetings. I couldn’t have that. But I just wanted you to know that there is something I do want and also want them to take that into consideration.
“At this point, health insurance for me is not a problem, but how about the guys at the bottom making 10+10? They can’t really afford that. And I have been there so it’s something that I still carry in my heart.”
Ngannou, who was always looking to get into the boxing ring, will finally make his boxing debut. The former UFC heavyweight champion will fight ‘The Gypsy King‘ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28, 2023