In a surprising revelation, Francis Ngannou disclosed that boxing legend Mike Tyson has not been actively involved in his training sessions for the upcoming clash against Anthony Joshua. The former UFC heavyweight champion, is gearing up for his second boxing match seeking redemption after his controversial defeat to Tyson Fury last October.
Ngannou spent the last five weeks in Saudi Arabia, honing his skills at Tyson’s recently established boxing gym in Riyadh. Ngannou clarified on a recent video: “To be honest with this fight since my training was here [Riyadh], we didn’t get Mike Tyson here.”
He elaborated on Tyson’s involvement during the Fury training, stating: “He came in like three times [for Fury], he was more advising. He would come and watch our training, we would be there to give advice.”
Ngannou and Tyson reunited over the weekend at the PFL vs Bellator Championships event in Riyadh. The two were seated next to one other at the PFL vs. Bellator Championships event in Riyadh.
Ngannou’s opponent for his cage comeback Renan Ferreira was solidified in the first big mixed martial arts event in Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian defeated Ryan Bader in only 21 seconds.
In contrast to the banter-filled lead-up to Ngannou’s last crossover clash with Fury, Anthony Joshua has adopted a more reserved stance.
Ngannou said: “Anthony Joshua never trash talks, his personality is more serious unlike Tyson Fury who is more like a playboy. I think when it comes to fighting, they both know how to fight and that’s what I’m focused on. He might have been nervous but that doesn’t mean anything, in fact I think being nervous means he is taking things very serious. It’s very important because he’s going to do his best to show up on the day with everything.”
Whoever wins between Joshua and Ngannou win on March 8; they will face the winner of Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world championship. Ngannou seems to be hopeful Fury can defeat the Ukrainian because he wants to exact revenge for his closely examined points loss to the British player.