Francis Ngannou opens up on Mike Tyson partnership; thanks Tyson Fury for ‘taking the risk’

The former UFC heavyweight champion will swap leather with the lineal boxing chief on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou has been trained for the fight by boxing legend Mike Tyson – someone he always wanted to work with in the sport.

Speaking at the press conference, he said: “Where do I start? I think this is a manifestation, a dream come true. I remember four years ago when I met Mike Tyson, my only request was when I fight Tyson Fury will you be in my corner?

“People thought I was losing it, I was crazy, it would never happen. Here we are and the fight is happening, so I am very excited, I am living the dream.

“It is never easy. I want to thank everybody here who has helped to make the fight happen.”

Ngannou’s bout with Fury has been criticised by many boxing purists who believe the current champion should be contending with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk rather than a complete novice.

While Ngannou has never boxed professionally, the Cameroonian arrives with a fierce reputation in the octagon winning 17 of his 20 MMA fights.

Twelve of those victories have come by way of knockout, including his 2021 fight with Stipe Miocic which culminated with Ngannou claiming the UFC heavyweight championship.

The mixed martial artist boasts immense power and he made sure to send Fury a warning ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

He said: “It might be a little weird, but I also want to thank Tyson Fury for taking the fight, for taking the risk because there is a lot of risk here for him too.

“He might go to sleep on Saturday night, so I appreciate his courage and thank him a lot for the opportunity as well.”