Tyson Fury got one final look at Francis Ngannou during Friday’s official weigh ins (replay HERE) and feels no threat heading into their heavyweight clash tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 28, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This weekend is Ngannou’s first chance to prove his departure from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) earlier this year was the right decision to make. The former UFC heavyweight champion wanted a more fighter-friendly contract with an option to cross over into professional boxing. Ngannou left a lot of money on the table when he parted ways with UFC, but seems to have found the right place to call home after signing a contract with Professional Fighters League (PFL).
That contract helped pave the way for Ngannou to meet Fury this weekend and finally test his luck at boxing. While “Predator” is one of the most vicious and feared power punchers in mixed martial arts (MMA) history he’s going to be out of his element against someone like Fury. That’s because “Gypsy King” is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world today and the current WBC heavyweight champion. He’s one of the best heavyweight fighters (if not the best) of this generation.
Needless to say, Fury is not all that intimidated by Ngannou. Despite Ngannou’s record-setting power and Mike Tyson-led training camp, Fury believes the former UFC king doesn’t pose much of a threat ahead of their main event showdown on Saturday.
“I think he’s a big, fat sausage and I’ll knock him spark out,” said Fury following Friday’s official weigh ins (shown in the above player). “We don’t get paid for long, we get paid for short. I’m going to make it nice and short for him.”
“Absolutely nothing,” continued Fury when asked what threats Ngannou might pose. “It’s like a table tennis champion facing [Novak] Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Totally different.”
While Fury is a massive betting favorite to take care of business this weekend and extend his professional unbeaten streak he needs to be careful. Fury was nearly decapitated by a Deontay Wilder punch back in 2018 and the argument can be made that “Predator” hits harder than “Bronze Bomber.” Once punch from Ngannou is all it takes to shock the world of combat sports and finally shut Fury up.
For much more on this weekend’s “Fury vs. Ngannou” card click here.