LONDON – Francis Ngannou is feeling good about his preparation ahead of his highly-anticipated fight against Tyson Fury.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion makes his professional boxing debut Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia against Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title and is regarded as one of the best boxers today.
Although he has a high mountain to climb, Ngannou feels good preparing with legendary boxer Mike Tyson.
“A lot of things,” Ngannou said, at a pre-fight press conference Thursday when asked how much he’s learned from Tyson. “I’ve known Mike Tyson since I don’t know how long, and I’ve met him a couple of times and to have him this time around, I’m like, ‘Ok?’ I was a little confused sometimes. I’m like, ‘He’s not here just to watch.’ He’s here because of my fight and to help me, and he’s actually giving me instructions and stuff, and I’m like, ‘Man, this is actually Mike Tyson. I’m not tripping. It’s real.’ That’s how big this is.”
Ngannou is aware of the limitations. He’s not a lifelong boxer, but he thinks he’s being put in the best position to pull off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
“Obviously, in a couple of months, nobody has ever imitated Mike Tyson’s style and do it as best as him,” Ngannou 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.”
For more on the fight, check out MMA Junkie’s hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.