Not many in the sport are giving Francis Ngannou a chance when he steps into the boxing ring for the first time against undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury.
The former UFC heavyweight champion excelled in his own sport, but has a mountainous task in the form of Fury, who has shown to be that rare breed of heavyweight with excellent movement and boxing skills alongside his size.
One man who isn’t overlooking the MMA man’s chances is Joe Joyce, who has sparred both.
Speaking to Seconds Out, ‘The Juggernaut’ said that Ngannou’s incredible power will transfer into boxing.
“I’m intrigued to see the fight. He has power. If you let him hit you, he can hit you really hard and it’s gonna hurt. Fury needs to keep on the ball, because he doesn’t want to get nailed by him.”
Although Joyce is picking Fury to win, he likened Ngannou’s chances to that of Daniel Dubois in his recent title fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
“Close the distance, work inside. He can throw really powerful hooks and crosses, and with what Mike Tyson’s getting him to do I think that will be effective to avoid the jab and the long range shots from Fury. I’m really interested to see how it plays out – it only takes one shot in heavyweight boxing … it’s unlikely but he’s got a chance – it’s similar to Daniel Dubois-Oleksandr Usyk.”
Fury and Ngannou will meet in the ring on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although it’s a ten-round pro contest, Fury’s WBC world title will not be on the line.