Eddie Hearn: ‘I don’t feel like Francis Ngannou can physically do more than four, five rounds. I don’t mean that disrespectfully’
Event promoter Eddie Hearn said that Francis Ngannou will not be able to fight Tyson Fury for more than five rounds. He went on to explain his reason, as predictions continue in Fury’s favour.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will ‘dance around’ in the boxing ring on October 28 tin what will be the MMA star’s professional boxing debut. Ngannou will be coming from Mike Tyson’s training camp after a manageable crash course.
Who is Francis Ngannou?
Francis Ngannou, born on September 5, 1986, is a Cameroonian-French professional mixed martial artist who is now also a professional boxer. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Ngannou is known by the nickname ‘The Predator’ and has been nominated for the Best MMA Fighter ESPY Award. He weighs 258 lbs. and stands at a height of 6’4. Ngannou is skilled in both boxing and mixed martial arts. He was born and raised in the village of Batie, Cameroon, where he allegedly lived in poverty and had little education. Despite his challenging upbringing, Ngannou has achieved great success in his career.
Lately, the star signed a man many think is presently the world’s best boxer to a boxing match. Both pundits and boxing enthusiasts are mostly saying he is most likely to be beaten because of the skill and experience gap between him and his British opponent.
Eddie Hearn’s prediction
‘Whatever Tyson wants to do. If it’s fought at any kind of pace, I don’t feel like Francis Ngannou can physically do more than four, five rounds. I don’t mean that disrespectfully. They’re not used to that kind of fighting. I know MMA is still high intensity, but trust me, you’ll see,’ said Hearn.
Eddie Hearn has been in the boxing business for so long that it would be unwise to dismiss some of his predictions. Promoters usually say their clients are good but believe the opposite sometimes. Everyone knows that Francis Ngannou is getting readied by Mike Tyson’s team, but most still believe Tyson Fury has more chance to win both by points accumulated and a stoppage.
Hearn’s point is provable, though. In most professional MMA bouts, the standard duration for each round is 5 minutes. The number of rounds in an MMA fight typically varies depending on the event and the level of competition. Championship fights in major promotions like the UFC often consist of five rounds, while non-title fights may have three rounds. But in professional boxing, each round lasts for three minutes. The number of rounds in a boxing match depends on the level and type of the bout, too. Championship fights typically have 12 rounds, while non-title fights have fewer rounds, often ranging from 4 to 10. Boxers aim to accumulate points through clean punches and knockouts to win the match.
Ngannou will have to fight for up to 10 rounds with a fighter whose technique is respectable among boxers, to whom Ngannou is just a newbie.
‘Fury may play with him and just hold him up,’ Hearn had continued. ‘If Fury wants to, he’ll stop him in the first round, no problem. If not, he’ll school him, get him to gas out and stop him on his feet.’