Fury vs. Ngannou: Fighters talk tough ahead of Saudi Arabia show

Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou have been talking tough ahead of this weekend’s high-profile fight.

Fury, a 35-year-old British WBC champion, claimed that he has doubled his training hours as he plans to prepare adequately for the Cameroonian in a fight scheduled for Saturday, October 28, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Cameroonian is the former heavyweight UFC champion, while Fury has never lost any of his professional boxing fights to date, including multiple world title bouts.

Fury is refusing to underestimate Ngannou, who is making his boxing debut on the night, as he told TNT Sports: “This is why I’m putting in a 12-week training camp instead of a six-week camp, which I have usually done for [Deontay] Wilder and [Dillian] Whyte.

“I’m giving Francis 100 per cent focus; I have to prepare more because he isn’t a boxer and is coming from a different background. With normal boxers, it’s going to come from the same angle. He’s got an awkward style, so [punches] might come from different directions. I have to be prepared for that and that’s why I’m giving him 100 per cent respect.”

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This Saturday represents the biggest bout for Ngannou as he will net him a career-high $10 million payday, noting that he has been preparing for his first boxing fight and is confident of staging a shock.

“I think that just proves that he is very smart, and he knows it’s going to be a fight, unlike some other people think. I have been preparing for over 12 weeks because this is my first boxing training camp. The goal is to get ready and give him the world,” Ngannou said:

In addition to his regular MMA trainers, Eric Nicksick and Dewey Cooper, Ngannou has been receiving training from boxing icon Mike Tyson. The Cameroonian has a reputation for having knockout power. Currently, he holds the record for the most brutal punch ever recorded at 129,161 units, which is the same as a small automobile travelling at full speed.