Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career. 36 days from now, he will take on the undefeated Tyson Fury in a 10-round boxing match which will earn him over $10 million. While Fury boasts a professional boxing record of 33 wins and 1 tie, Ngannou is entering the boxing ring for the first time. Thus many within the combat sports community believe that it will be hard road for him. However, the presence of boxing legend Mike Tyson in ‘The Predator’s’ corner as his coach is seen as a huge positive for the ex-UFC star, adding to the anticipation of the fight. Recently, on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, the French-Cameroonian fighter shared how he persuaded ‘Iron’ Mike to become a part of the coaching staff for the heavyweight clash.
Fury and Ngannou will lock horns on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Riyadh Belt. The fans are really excited to see the fight as both heavyweights have gone back and forth for several years now. Despite the majority of fans leaning towards a Fury win, it remains quite interesting to see how Tyson prepared Ngannou for the fight.
Francis Ngannou revealed how he persuaded Mike Tyson to coach him
The Cameroonian-French heavyweight recently engaged in an extensive conversation with UFC commentator and podcaster, Joe Rogan, about his career and upcoming fight on the JRE MMA Show. During their discussion, the duo delved into the topic of Mike Tyson, and the MMA star shared how he successfully persuaded the icon to join his training camp.
Since a fight against Fury was in talks for years, the former UFC heavyweight champion stated that he had requested Tyson to coach him on his ‘Hotboxin’ Podcast. He said:
“Exactly four years ago, that’s when [Mike] Tyson and I started to hit each other on social media. Four years ago was the first time that I met Mike Tyson. I was on his podcast, ‘The Hotboxin’ and one request that I initiate at that time was like whenever I fight Tyson Fury, would you be in my corner and he said yes.“
Tyson has remained inactive for a long time and only returned for a fight back in 2020. However, it is interesting to see him train Francis Ngannou.
With his wealth of experience, it will surely have a great impact on the Predator’s boxing, as the ‘Gypsy King‘ isn’t an easy fight by any means. Although, it remains unclear whether Tyson will join Ngannou for his big day.
Tyson might not be in Ngannou’s corner for the fight
Having a coach in the corner helps the fighter with their advice and analysis to make better decisions during the fight. Unfortunately, Ngannou might miss the New York based legendary boxer during his boxing debut.
The former UFC star’s coach, Eick Nicksick, appeared on the ‘Straight Outta The Lair’ podcast. During the conversation, he revealed that ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ might not be present in Ngannou’s corner for the heavyweight crossover.
Ngannou has overcome several adversities and is undoubtedly a great fighter. However, having someone like Mike Tyson there would have been beneficial.
