Tyson Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, will box former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in a 10-round match Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although it’s a fully professional boxing match, Fury’s WBC heavyweight title won’t be on the line.
Considering that he’s named after the boxing legend, Fury would have liked to see Tyson in his corner, not Ngannou’s.
“I think that it’s sad, actually,” Fury said in an interview with Sky Sports. “The man that I’m named after, a legend, has to go against me, for one, and then come out as a loser, for two, having lost to a man he was named after. I think it’s sad and I think that he should be in my corner, not the losing corner.
“But business is business ,and I understand that it’s strictly business. No matter what he teaches this fella, no matter how much boxing training he does or whatever, everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face. I’m not sure who said that, but I know that’s true. They’ve all got plans until they get smacked in the mouth.”
Fury speculates that Tyson choosing to coach Ngannou could be something to do with comparing their career accolades, but he doesn’t know for sure.
“I don’t know – I must have said something to offend him,” Fury said. “I haven’t spoke to him, but it must be that I’ve outdone him, longer-reigning champion than he was. Maybe he’s upset about that. I don’t know.”