Francis Ngannou has the odds stacked against him in a professional boxing contest against undefeated world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.
The former UFC titlist will enter the ring for the first time this weekend for ten rounds with the man from Morecambe – as high profile and testing a debut as they come.
Speaking around the time the fight was announced, Ngannou said Fury is ‘very tricky with his gloves, I think he cheats.’ He said that his team were to have conversations regarding his concerns before the event, specifically about the amount of padding in Fury’s chosen pair come fight night.
Now just days out, Boxing Social asked the MMA man about those comments and if he believes his opponent has cheated in the past. He said no, but that the stories he has heard are enough to make him wary.
“I do not believe – I have heard. [There are] a lot of complaints about his gloves from people that he has fought. So I raised that issue just to double-check.”
Fury was famously accused by Deontay Wilder of loading his gloves in their second bout. The American was battered and beaten until the seventh round when it was ruled a TKO win for the Brit. The result in their trilogy bout would be another stoppage for Fury.
‘The Gypsy King’s team – as well as the vast majority of fans – have put Wilder’s accusations down to the fact that he struggled to accept the loss, pointing to other baseless comments surrounding tainted water.
Fury and Ngannou go head-to-head on October 28 in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. A win for Fury cements an undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk in the near future.