Tyson Fury faced off with Francis Ngannou for the first time since their ten round professional fight was announced, and, according to some fans, he has weight to shift ahead of October 28.
‘The Gypsy King’ is a massive favourite in the crossover contest. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a fighter or pundit picking the upset as Ngannou enters the ring for the first time after a championship winning UFC run.
London played host to the red carpet kick-off press conference, at which the two big men traded words and then went head-to-head. Fury decided to go shirtless for the photo opp.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou face-off ๐ฅ#FuryNgannou | #BattleOfTheBaddest | TNT Sports Box Office pic.twitter.com/TrIi2GPhuY
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) September 7, 2023
‘The Gypsy King’ is a self-described behemoth, and weighs in around 260-270lbs for his fights. His career heaviest was his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder – a whopping 277 on the scales.
He famously ballooned up in weight during a hiatus from the sport back in 2016 and 2017 before making a sensational return to become a two-time heavyweight champion.
Fans viewing the first instalment of the Ngannou spectacle commented on his physique on social media, with one saying he looked over 300lbs. Another claimed Fury seemed ‘massively out of shape’ and others suggested that he wasn’t training seriously for what is expected to be an easy night’s work by most.
As for Ngannou, he stayed suited up, but rarely looks anything other than powerful and fit. For his last bout in MMA – a unanimous decision over Cyril Gane – he took to the scales at 255lbs.
The two heavyweights will meet on October 28 in Riyadh, with more details on the event and undercard set to be announced soon.