Tyson Fury’s take on Francis Ngannou’s famous punch power following bout
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Having tasted the MMA professional’s punch first for his fellow heavyweights, WBC champion Tyson Fury gave his opinion on Francis Ngannou’s much-respected punches. His take was surprising.
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After coming out worse of the two contestants in their recent professional boxing battle at Riyadh, Tyson Fury is still healing from a wounded face and bruised body while training for the undisputed world heavyweight bout that will be held sometime before April, featuring him and WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Francis Ngannou has made it clear he was going to fight no other boxer until he faced Tyson Fury again, alleging that even Tyson Fury, who was crowned the winner after their bout, knew whom the real winner was. Ngannou rejected offers from all boxing heavyweights that have come forward for a match and gave his reason.
‘First of all it’s too soon,’ he said. ‘Secondly, my most focus as far as boxing is concerned is my rematch with Tyson Fury. That’s the most important thing for me right now, everything else in boxing comes after.’
‘I would be willing to wait,’ Ngannou later said. ‘They [Fury and Usyk] are going to fight sometime in February instead of December 23, which is my fault, I shouldn’t have cut him, then they would fight in December and then maybe we would have run it back earlier next year.’
But what does Tyson Fury think of Ngannou’s ‘deadly punches’?
‘He punches hard but it was a bit like a hook on the back of the head, the knockdown in round three and apart from that he didn’t really get me with much else,’ Fury claimed.
Meanwhile, former world unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua revealed his feelings as he returns for a title shot after losing his throne to Oleksandr Usyk.
‘People create this narrative and put pressure on me. Gone are the days where it was for the fun. When you’re just doing it for the passion, you’re a prospect,’ said Joshua.
He recalled throwing Usyk’s belt out of the ring when he lost to the Ukrainian.
‘That was an ego and pride thing coming out,’ he said. ‘I brought this heavyweight division back – that was in me. Right or wrong, probably wrong…
‘So I threw them [the belts] because that’s what I felt like. I grabbed the mic, I addressed the crowd. Could I have done it better? Of course I could have.
‘I had finished a 12-round fight. I felt frustrated and annoyed. I knew I was out of the title race.’
Joshua went on.
‘This[boxing] is all I know, this is what I dedicate my life to. Do I want to get myself to the championship? I would love to. Am I going to be smart in how I get there? Yes. Do I know more about boxing than I used to? 100 per cent. Am I still trying to improve as a boxer? Yes…
‘From where I began, to going on to achieving, it’s never enough. All this ‘can he be three-time champion of the world?’ It’s too much. Maybe I should stop if I can’t deal with it.’
It is never easy to be the best or among the best.
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