Mike Tyson’s aid in Francis Ngannou’s first boxing training camp may have been fabricated. That’s according to a new report from Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, anyway.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion, Ngannou (17-3 in MMA), is set to make his long-awaited professional boxing debut against the undefeated 33-0-1, Tyson Fury, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend (Sat., Oct. 28, 2023). Throughout training camp and appearing in his corner on fight night will be the legendary figure that Fury was named after, the aforementioned all-time great Tyson.
“The Saudis have paid Mike Tyson to act as Francis Ngannou’s trainer (very, Very, VERY handsomely, I’m told),” Iole tweeted. “They are flying in celeb boxers, including [Manny] Pacquiao, [Roberto] Duran, [Erik] Morales, ‘Big’ George Foreman, MA Barrera, Joe Calzaghe, Tommy Hearns, Frank Bruno. Floyd Mayweather may go too.
“He hasn’t trained Francis but they figured his presence would bring attention to the event,” he concluded. “Dewey Cooper trained him.”
Saudi Arabia has gotten heavily involved in the combat sports and entertainment worlds in recent years, most notably striking annual deals with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and more recently, Professional Fighters League (PFL). Fury has performed in the country for WWE in the past, but this will be his first time boxing in Saudi Arabia when he collides with Ngannou. His younger brother, Tommy Fury, boxed Jake Paul in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia earlier this year (February 2023). Fury defeated Paul via a split decision (watch highlights), maintaining his then-perfect 9-0 record.
The match will be both Fury and Ngannou’s first appearances in action in 2023. Fury last entered the ring, defeating Derek Chisora via a 10th round technical knockout (watch highlights) in Dec. 2022. Ngannou’s last fight saw him make his lone UFC title defense, earning a unanimous decision over Ciryl Gane (watch highlights) in January 2022.
For the complete Fury vs. Ngannou fight card and PPV lineup click here.