Francis Ngannou is preparing for one of the biggest nights of his life when he takes on Tyson Fury in a boxing exhibition.
Despite the fact fans wanted to see Fury take on Oleksandr Usyk in a battle for the undisputed heavyweight title, the Gypsy King has instead elected to battle someone who has never had a professional boxing bout.
Ngannou, widely criticized by Dana White for wanting too much money, has been looking for a way to break into the current era of showpiece boxing events without the risk of real damage.
With that being said, nobody can accuse the former UFC champion of not taking his preparation for the fight seriously, and the combat star set about hiring Mike Tyson to work as his trainer for the battle.
The results, at least aesthetically, have been spectacular with Ngannou looking a stacked-yet-lean fighting machine.
He is in shape and is building up his conditioning to potentially fight for 10 to 12 rounds against Fury, although that will depend entirely on how quickly the professionally trained boxer wants to be back home and in bed.
Ngannou has Mike Tyson’s support ahead of fight
Whilst purist boxing fans will not expect Ngannou to be able to even land as single-shot on arguably the most technically proficient heavyweight boxer to ever live, Francis Ngannou has one huge supporter in his corner.
Mike Tyson knows heavyweight boxing incredibly well. It both made him and arguably was his downfall in a blisteringly successful career.
Having dipped his toes back in the water with his own comeback, Iron Mike is now hoping to harness the sheer power of Ngannou into a boxing-ready machine.
“It’s no secret I back Ngannou 100 percent in this face-off of champions,” Mike Tyson declared.
“He has one hard punch, and when it lands, it’s game over. I’m looking forward to working with Ngannou and supporting his transition from the octagon to the boxing ring.
“He isn’t a combat novice, he is a world champion. He knows how to compete when the bell rings, but the key will be combining his energy and combat skills into his punches and using his agility to move swiftly around the ring then delivering the knockout blow. We’re here to win.”