Francis Ngannou is preparing for one of the biggest challenges of his career, which is only 40 days away. The Cameroonian-French fighter will face the undefeated heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury on 28th October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For his boxing debut, Ngannou is going to earn around $10 million, making it the biggest payday of his career. To prepare him for such a monumental fight, he took help from one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Mike Tyson. Learning from the legend will be a significant advantage for the MMA fighter. However, Eric Nicksick, his coach, stated during his appearance on the ‘Straight Outta The Lair‘ podcast that it remains uncertain whether Tyson will be in his corner during the fight.
‘The Predator’ will debut for the special ‘Riyadh belt’ and the title of the ‘Baddest Motherfu*ker on the Planet’. However, this fight holds a lot more value than that title and the belt. A win will cement Ngannou as the best heavyweights in combat sports.
Coach of Francis Ngannou casts doubt over the presence of Mike Tyson in his boxing debut
The presence of an experienced coach in the corner has a significant influence, as it supports the fighter. Although ‘Iron’ Mike is honing Ngannou’s boxing skills, it is uncertain if the 57-year-old will assist him from the corner during the big occasion.
The boxing idol’s presence in Ngannou’s corner for the Fury fight was a talking point when Nicksick appeared on the ‘Straight Outta The Lair’ podcast. He said:
“And we did bring on Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson came out and did some stuff with us. Now, I still don’t know if Mike’s gonna be in the corner. I don’t know if any of that. I don’t know.”
However, Ngannou’s coach also stated that Tyson’s presence in the camp so far has been a ‘cool experience’. Moreover, he also revealed that the MMA fighter brought out another coach from France to assist him.
It remains to be seen whether Tyson’s absence will create any large impact on the outcome of the fight. However, ‘The Predator’ acknowledged that he is learning a lot from the heavyweight boxer while training.
Ngannou on Mike Tyson’s coaching
Even though Francis Ngannou was a dominant fighter and a champion in MMA, boxing wasn’t his sport. As he prepares to make his debut in a new sport, a portion of the combat sports community has doubts about his abilities in the ring.
However, ‘The Predator’ has confidence in Mike Tyson’s coaching abilities. During their pre-fight press conference a week ago, Ngannou touched upon ‘Iron’ Mike’s influence as a coach.
The MMA fighter revealed that he wouldn’t mimic the legendary boxer, but intends to absorb all the knowledge he can gain from him. He said:
“It’s not something I’m going to do. But still, there are a lot of things that I’m learning from him. He wasn’t just good at knocking people out. He was very good at moving and his boxing technique.“
It remains to be seen whether Mike Tyson will be present ringside to aid ‘The Predator’ on 28th October. Nevertheless, the fans will be quite excited to see how he has shaped Francis Ngannou as a boxer.
