Maybe it’s true that all Tysons should stick together, but that hasn’t stopped Mike Tyson from training former UFC champion Francis Ngannou for his upcoming boxing match with Tyson Fury.
Ngannou will make his official professional boxing debut this coming October when he trades in his mixed martial arts (MMA) gloves for boxing mitts. The former UFC heavyweight champion will immediately dive into shark-infested deep water as he tests his luck against Fury, an undefeated WBC champion who is one of the best heavyweight fighters of this generation.
Fortunately, Ngannou has partnered up with former heavyweight king, “Iron” Mike, to help him prepare for his boxing crossover. The partnership wasn’t a complete shocker considering Tyson is an avid UFC fan and has followed Ngannou’s MMA career over the years, but it might be strange considering Fury was named after Tyson.
While Fury doesn’t believe Tyson can show Ngannou enough over the course of a few months to prepare him for an elite boxing match “Gypsy King” is still saddened by their connection.
“I think that it’s sad, actually,” said Fury during a recent interview with Sky Sports. “The man that I am named after, a legend, has to go against me and then come out as a loser, having lost to a man who was named after him. I think that it’s sad and I think that he should be in my corner, not the losing corner, but business is business and I understand that it’s strictly business.”
He continued, “No matter what he teaches this fella, no matter what boxing training he does, everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face. I’m not sure who said that, but I know that’s true. They’ve all got plans until they get smacked in the mouth.”
As of now, Fury is a massive -900 betting favorite to take care of business this October and send Ngannou back to MMA. However, Ngannou still believes his world-class punching power and recent time training alongside Tyson will afford him the opportunity to shock the world against “Gypsy King.”