Francis Ngannou will have to worry about the size and experience of Tyson Fury when the two heavyweights collide in a boxing superfight on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia, but the former UFC champion is also concerned about “Gypsy King” pulling something shady with his gloves.
Ngannou, who parted ways with UFC earlier this year, is about to embark on a new journey in the world of boxing. The former UFC heavyweight king will jump into the deepest and darkest water right off the bat as Fury is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. It’s going to be very difficult for Ngannou to shock the combat world and hand Fury his first professional loss, but he’s willing to try.
Ngannou is pulling out all the stops to ensure he gives himself the best chance to capture victory in his boxing debut this October. Not only has Ngannou brought in Mike Tyson to help him train, but “Predator” recently called out Fury for potentially tampering with his gloves to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Ngannou is basing his knowledge off complaints from heavyweight boxers Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora, who have both accused of Fury of glove tampering in the past.
“He’s very tricky with his glove,” Ngannou told Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA Show. “I think he cheats.”
“We are talking about it with the team, and they’re like, ‘Oh, there’s the U.K. commission with the gloves,’” Ngannou said. “I’m like, ‘Bro, we’re going to get there, we need every glove to be checked.’”
“You don’t tell me about this commission, ‘Oh, the gloves get to be checked,’” Ngannou continued. “If you want us to fight bare hands, bare-knuckle, let’s go bare-knuckle. But don’t give me 10-ounce gloves and wear 8-ounce or 6-ounce gloves because he has no protection. No.”
Rogan, who knows a thing or two about boxing, disputed some of the accusations and fan videos that seemingly depict Fury tampering with his gloves. That didn’t seem to change Ngannou’s mind.
“But his opponent complains about his gloves,” Ngannou replied. “It might not be [true], but we have to check that. … I think we have nothing to lose by double-checking, because it’s been more than once that people talk about his gloves, and even his opponents.”
“I’m sure they talk about it,” Rogan said. “[Fury] kicks their ass.”
“But in the boxing world, you have to worry about everything,” Ngannou said. “If somebody says something in boxing, you better double-check.”
What do you think? Should Ngannou be worried about Fury’s glove tampering or should he be more focused on the boxing aspect of their fight?
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