Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight powerhouse, approached boxing icon Mike Tyson for assistance in refining his striking skills ahead of his highly-anticipated crossover bout with Tyson Fury.
Intrigued by the opportunity, Tyson accepted and began working on Ngannou’s boxing technique, footwork, and ring IQ ahead of this month’s showdown with the Gypsy King.
The unexpected alliance has generated a considerable buzz within the fight community, showcasing how two legends within their respective disciplines can come together to elevate combat sports to new heights.
How many times do you really get to be involved in an immortal event,’ Tyson exclusively told Mail Sport.
‘How many times in my life will I be able to do something like this. Some of the magnitude. So, of course I would want to be involved in this and say yes to being a part of this.’
From watching Ngannou in the gym, it’s clear to see Tyson’s guidance has been invaluable. His boxing expertise has strengthened Ngannou’s striking skills, enhanced his precision and improved his ring intelligence. It remains to be seen if it will be enough to conquer Fury.
Beyond technique, Tyson’s mentorship has inspired Ngannou to train harder than ever.
The former UFC heavyweight champion told Mail Sport: ‘Having Mike Tyson present just makes you realise what is happening. You know that you have a fight and obviously you are serious about it but it seems like there is something missing.
‘You’re like OK I have a fight but what else do I need. Then you have Mike Tyson and he’s basically like the biggest boxing figure. It makes me think, oh man, this is serious, very very serious. It doesn’t get more serious than this.
‘That alone brings you a lot of motivation. Even when you’re tired, even when you’re done for the day, I’m like man one more. I want to do one more. I’m like I just want to be like that man. So all that stuff, has helped me mentally already.
‘Then of course, there is the technical aspect that he is bringing too. We all know how technical Mike Tyson was so obviously having his tips and hearing from him is very helpful for me. I won’t have his boxing style but I can definitely learn a lot from him.’
As it stands, Ngannou holds the record for the hardest punch in the world – having registered a striking power of 129,161 units on a PowerKube (which measures the power of a punch by analysing its force, speed and accuracy).
No one has managed to break Ngannou’s record, set in 2018. The last person that tried to overthrow the MMA star was the former World’s Strongest Man winner Eddie Hall, but he failed.
The testing also revealed how Ngannou’s knockout power would be enough to lift a 240lbs heavyweight off his feet. The Gypsy King typically weighs in at 263lbs.
However, Iron Mike h as highlighted the importance of refining the 37-year-old’s technique – placing particular importance on balance, timing, and leverage as he stated Ngannou’s power ‘doesn’t have any value if it doesn’t land on the target.’
Tyson said: ‘I am learning what he is able to do. He’s able to do so much more than I anticipated. So, I am just looking forward to the event. I think it will be interesting [to see how he does against Fury].
‘His power was quite raw [when I first met him]. But, it was astronomical. Having that punch is pretty interesting but it doesn’t have any value if it doesn’t land on the target. We have to work on being more precise with his punches, which he pretty much is. He doesn’t need much. He’s a pretty rounded individual.’
Tyson believes Ngannou can knock Fury out.
‘He has what it takes to knockout anything or anybody standing in his way. Once he lands a punch on Tyson’s jaw he is going to knock him out too. Nobody can survive that. Not in UFC and not in boxing.’
However, Tyson recognises the fact Ngannou must deliver a career-best performance to be in with a chance of beating Fury and establishing his boxing credentials.
‘He’s going to have to put his best foot forward to beat the champ. He has to give everything he got and do the things we have worked on. He’s going to have to use it all and I don’t expect anything less,’ Tyson added.
But anything can happen.
A rank 42-1 outsider with an undistinguished professional record, Buster Douglas was meant to be an easy scalp for 37-fight unbeaten and 10-time heavyweight champion Tyson on his unstoppable march towards a showdown with Evander Holyfield.
Much like Andy Ruiz’s upset of Anthony Joshua decades later, there was little doubt from the travelling journalists about who would come out on top. Everyone was backing Iron Mike.
However, it wasn’t meant to be. Douglas unleashed a mighty four-punch combination in the 10th round – sending Tyson crashing to the canvas and fumbling for his gum-shield.
Iron Mike did manage to rise to his feet but the referee called the contest off after the count, causing the biggest upset in boxing history to date.
‘It doesn’t always happen [the favourite winning],’ Tyson said. ‘If I had a quarter for every time there was an upset, I would be a billionaire.
‘It happens every moment of the day. Someone gets upset. Some deal gets upset. Stock markets crash when you were told they wouldn’t crash. There is always adversity in life.
‘But, yes, it [Ngannou beating Fury] will be the biggest upset in the history of the sport. Definitely [bigger than my loss to Douglas]. There is no doubt about that.’