Francis Ngannou responds to criticism over Tyson Fury crossover fight

25 August 2023 , 15:00

956     0

Francis Ngannou responds to criticism over Tyson Fury crossover fight

Francis Ngannou is refusing to pay attention to critics of his crossover fight against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Former UFC champion Ngannou, 36, makes his boxing debut on October 28 in Saudi Arabia against Fury. Ngannou is ineligible to compete for Fury's WBC world title as he is unranked by the organisation, so the belt isn't on the line. The fight is not an exhibition as it will go on both men's professional records, taking place under traditional Queensbury rules as it's set for 10 three-minute rounds.

Fury has been slammed for fighting Ngannou as he was supposed to face fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed fight at the end of the year. Ngannou took a gamble on himself by parting ways with the UFC in January in the hopes of securing a big-money boxing fight and the decision paid off when his fight with Fury was announced last month.

Who wins on October 28 - Tyson Fury or Francis Ngannou? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below

"People will always have things to say when you are doing things that people are not used to and afraid of. My whole life I have been having this story, when I grew up in Africa and said 'I am going to be a professional fighter' people thought I was crazy. I didn't find a gym until I was 22 years old, that's when I started boxing for the first time," Ngannou said on Mike Tyson's Hotboxin'.

Deontay Wilder offers advice to Manny Pacquiao's son ahead of latest fight

"People were like 'Ok, this guy is losing his mind'. If there were three of me in my family and if I was a small guy they could take on, they would have put me in a psychiatric centre. They really thought I was losing it, they never believed in me. Late or not, here we are. It's never late.

"One of the things people said was 'Mike Tyson was a champion at 20 and you are starting at 22' but what can I do? I do my best with what I have. I never had a gym around me and I loved this since I was a kid, but I didn't have a chance to train. Now I am here, I won't just say it's not possible. I will go there and try, I have to give it a shot."

Ngannou is being coached by boxing legend Tyson for the fight whilst also working with his usual MMA coaches Eric Nicksick and Dewey Cooper. Over 18 months will have passed since Ngannou's last fight by the time he steps into the ring in October, whilst Fury hasn't fought since stopping Derek Chisora in an unwanted trilogy fight last December.

Harry Davies