Former UFC superstar, Francis Ngannou is continuing his training under the tutelage of heavyweight boxing legend, Mike Tyson, as he prepares to make his ring debut against WBC champion, Tyson Fury.
‘The Predator’ established himself as one of the devastating punchers in the history of the UFC, with 16 of his 17 wins coming inside the distance.
The transition into boxing always seemed inevitable, especially with Ngannou having always talked about switching disciplines, but to jump in at the deep end against Fury and pull off the upset seems a near-impossible task.
To give himself the best possible chance of success, Ngannou appointed his boxing idol ‘Iron Mike’ as head trainer, but recent footage of the pair in the gym has underwhelmed fans, with fellow heavyweights now completely dismissing Ngannou’s chances.
As the fight date edges closer, footage has been released onto the Mayweather Channel showing the 37-year-old taking part in light sparring with fellow Cameroonian-French heavyweight, Carlos Takam, who was stopped by Anthony Joshua back in 2107 when challenging for the WBA, IBF and IBO world titles.
Whilst the spar is more technical than physical and fought at a relatively slow pace, it’s clear to see that Ngannou is still attempting to learn how to move his feet in the ring and pick his shots wisely.
The addition of Takam in camp is surely a positive one, with more intense training likely to have taken place off-camera against the veteran, who is coming off a career-best win against Tony Yoka.
Fury-Ngannou takes place on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, topping a card that is available to watch live on TNT Sports Box Office.