Few are giving former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou much of a chance when he makes his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on October 28th.
Though Ngannou does appear to have serious natural power, he is expected to fall well behind WBC world champion Fury in just about every other metric when the pair clash next month.
Hall of famer Bernard Hopkins has weighed in with his two cents – and he too is backing ‘The Gypsy King.’
In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Hopkins admitted that he does not envisage Ngannou making it to the half way stage of the ten round affair.
“This does nothing other than a payday for Tyson Fury. I bet everything I love on Tyson Fury. It’s entertainment on a high level because of Tyson Fury.
Fury gets the knockout within five rounds.”
It would go down as one of the biggest sporting upsets of all time if Ngannou was able to pull off the unthinkable and defeat Fury – the lineal champion – on his professional boxing debut.
The event was not particularly well received by boxing fans, who were growing tired of Fury’s inability to agree terms for an undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
However, that all could be forgiven, after news broke recently that Fury and Usyk have signed contracts to finally lock horns in Saudi Arabia, either in late 2023 or early 2024.
It would be a cruel twist of fate if Ngannou was somehow able to derail plans for the four belt unification, which would crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion in almost a quarter of a century.