‘The power is real’ – Mike Tyson reveals Francis Ngannou 'broke' opponents ankle in sparring

The former UFC heavyweight champion will share the ring with the lineal boxing champion on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou has been trained by boxing legend Mike Tyson, with the American underlining the Cameroonians power during the pre-fight press conference.

Tyson said: “I am just looking forward for this fight to start. When this first came to me I said there is no way this is gonna happen and then I watched him spar.

“I thought it was ridiculous too until I saw him spar, he hit a guy on the chin and he broke his ankle or leg.

“Listen man, if he can do that it is possible he can be heavyweight champion of the world. The power is definitely real.”

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

Despite his lack of boxing experience, 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.

Ngannou’s trainer Dewey Cooper added: “Francis has been training really hard for the last three and a half months.

“We brought in tons of different guys for him to spar with, to get comfortable with the height and the reach of Tyson Fury, also the movement and the speed.

“He’s a champion, he came from Cameroon, he’s been through so many difficulties in his entire life and this is no different. He will persevere, he will be victorious in two days.”