Former world cruiserweight and heavyweight champion, David Haye, has issued a warning to Tyson Fury ahead of his crossover fight with Francis Ngannou.
It’s not necessarily the fight boxing fans wanted, but it’s hard to argue against the size of the spectacle. Fury, the current WBC champion and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation, will take on former UFC heavyweight champion and MMA’s hardest ever hitter, Ngannou, in what will be his first ever professional boxing fight.
Speaking to Seconds Out about the upcoming clash, Haye says the phrase ‘anything can happen in heavyweight boxing’ doesn’t apply to this fight as Ngannou has no boxing experience.
“It’s heavyweight boxing, he’s never done any boxing, so it doesn’t really apply to Ngannou. At least Conor McGregor had some form of amateur pedigree. So that’s why he was able to maintain a few rounds. It looked like a legitimate match, maybe because Floyd allowed it to be.
Is he going to go out there and just dispatch him? Or is he going to tie him up, make him tired, hit him with some body shots and put on a show? I think Fury is good enough to make it entertaining, or he could go out there like he did with Deontay Wilder the second time and just smoke him. I’d like him to drag it out 6/7 rounds, bust him up and show why there is a difference between professional boxers and MMA fighters.”
Although the ‘Hayemaker’ isn’t giving Ngannou much of a chance under boxing rules, he does warn Fury what could happen if the 37-year-old decided to go rogue and choke ‘The Gypsy King’.
“Who could stop him? If he puts a rear naked choke hold on Tyson, who can stop him?
He could probably kill him. Who could physically get him off? You’d have to shoot him if he chooses to do that, that’s how powerful he is.”
Fury-Ngannou takes place on October 28 in Saudi Arabia and will be shown live in the US on ESPN+ PPV and TNT Sports PPV for UK fans.