Francis Ngannou will make his boxing debut against one of if not the best heavyweight in the world, Tyson Fury, this month.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion takes to Saudi Arabia for his debut, for a purse that many boxers won’t come close to in their entire careers.
Trained by Mike Tyson, Ngannou brings power with him to the ring, and it’s widely believed that he only has a puncher’s chance, if that.
One sparring partner, game heavyweight Carlos Takam, believes that punch power is what wins him the fight.
When it was put to him that Wilder hit Fury ‘very hard’ without scoring a stoppage, Takam told The Jeff Mayweather Channel that Ngannou’s power is a different level.
“No, Francis’ power is crazy bro. It’s very crazy. Seriously. … I really think if Tyson Fury takes that punch from Francis, he not gonna get up.”
“I think Francis is gonna win this fight, and the next one is gonna be an MMA fight between them.”
Wilder dropped Fury four times over the course of three fights, but the Brit showed immense powers of recovery to rise each time.
Ngannou had 12 knockouts from 17 wins in his UFC career, building a fearsome highlight reel that often sees his opponent out cold from one shot.
It has been said plenty of times during the promotion that the MMA man holds the world record for the hardest punch, and Takam seems convinced that he won’t have the problem that many others in his sport have had when transferring that technique to the boxing ring.
Having said that, the training footage posted by the 37-year-old so far certainly hasn’t inspired fans, fighters or pundits to back him.