Francis Ngannou seized a verbal victory during the final press conference, leaving Tyson Fury momentarily speechless.
The highly anticipated showdown between the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion and former UFC heavyweight champion is slated for Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. While Fury is often lauded for his verbal prowess, Ngannou more than held his ground on the microphone and ultimately rendered his rival momentarily speechless.
The press conference was largely dominated by Fury’s father, who seized the opportunity to challenge Mike Tyson for an exhibition bout. While concluding, both Fury and Ngannou were asked for their closing remarks.
Fury attempted to taunt Ngannou by stating, “I know you can’t punch.” The Cameroonian swiftly retorted, “Okay, then lift your chin on the way and you can find out if I can punch.”
Fury persisted with his usual banter, including labeling Ngannou a “big ugly dosser” and urging him to hit.
The comedic twist came when Fury poked fun at Ngannou’s physique, a recurring theme throughout fight week. This was consistent with a joke he had been making about how much more at ease he was being shirtless than his opponent, even if the MMA star seemed to look physically better.
Fury stated: “Look at him, he’s a big fat sausage.”
“Look how fat he is, he’s not even in shape,” he continued, turning to Mike Tyson. Even though Ngannou’s native language is not English, he responded by saying: “Yes, I’m fat but I can still knock people out.”
He then delivered the line, “But you used to knock people out when you were fat, it’s okay.”
Even Fury struggled to conjure a suitably clever comeback. Mike Tyson then went on to say, “He got you with that one.”
Tyson Fury playfully admitted defeat by saying: “That’s true, I’ll give him that, it is true.”