Tyson Fury dismisses talk about upset in Saudi bout.
Tyson Fury has thrashed talks about mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou creating an upset when the two lock horns tonight in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou, who scaled 272.1lbs to Fury’s 277.7lbs, looked physically imposing at Friday’s weigh-in and is a former UFC heavyweight champion known for his striking but when he steps into the ring won Saturday he will be boxing professionally for the first time.
Fury is the towering WBC champion (whose title won’t be on the line) who is widely regarded as the world’s leading heavyweight, even though Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBO, WBA and IBF belts, would dispute that.
Tyson and John Fury both attempted to face off against Francis Ngannou ahead of Tyson’s clash in Saudi Arabia.
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Fury wasn’t impressed by what he saw of Ngannou on the scales or in his past MMA career. “I think he’s a big fat sausage and I’ll knock him spark out,” Fury said afterwards. “I’m going to make it nice and short for him.
“It’s like a table tennis champion facing Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, totally different.
Ngannou talked up his physical power. “If that overhand right touches him he’ll go down,” he said. “I’m very excited and it’s going down tomorrow night.
UFC star Ian Garry says that Tyson Fury will ‘dominate’ Francis Ngannou and would rather see the former UFC heavyweight champion up against Deontay Wilder.
“We are about to give a show for the people. I think this fight will end very quick.
Be that as it may, even voices from MMA are not backing Ngannou to secure a monumental upset.
Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy told Sky Sports: “Of course, my prediction is that Tyson’s going to win and he’s going to outbox him for a couple of rounds, weigh on him, bear down on him and then probably look for that rear uppercut or a body shot to put him away.”
Fury has all the advantages here, but word from his training camp is that nevertheless he has been taking it seriously.
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“Very seriously,” says Solomon Dacres, who has been one of Fury’s sparring partners for Ngannou.
“I’ve been there for the last four weeks, started sparring in Morecombe, then here [in Saudi Arabia]. He’s been preparing very hard as if it was any world title fight.
“He’s been sparring hard rounds with me, Joe Parker, Martin Bakole as well has been up there, getting top quality sparring and just training hard, preparing for the best fighter that’s going to be in the ring against you.