By: Sean Crose
“Who wants to watch me fight this beastly boxing rule @ufc glove?” Undefeated WBC and linear heavyweight champion Tyson Fury tweeted on Thursday. This is attached with a photo of him and UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Fury also put the handle on Ngannou’s Twitter and UFC honcho Dana White on his post. Although Ngannou will face Ciryl Gane in the octagon in the coming weeks, the Cameroonian has very openly expressed an interest in boxing. And, unlike other UFC crossovers, Ngannou has a boxing-focused background.
“I can’t see myself retiring without boxing,” Independence report 35 as said. Not only that, the MMA powerhouse also expressed that he wants to fight the best. “Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder – I want to try my hand at their level,” he said. Ngannou is special in that he understands the stark difference between boxing and mixed martial arts, which others who have tried to jump from one sport to another don’t seem to fully understand.
“It’s not the same sport,” he said, “but I’m the champion, so I’m top in the division. In the end, it only takes a swing, a punch, a good delivery system to throw those bombs.” As Yahoo Sports put it: “Ngannou is considered by many to be the most powerful fighter in UFC history.”
Of course, it will be Tyson Fury Ngannou going up to here – perhaps the most skilled heavyweight since Lennox Lewis. A towering Englishman, Fury is distinctive in that he has respectable defensive skills, but can also crush and bulldoze opponents. Fury’s final bout, the third-round first leg against Deontay Wilder last fall, was the one to watch. Every man has had a taste before Fury finally sends his ferocious opponent away in jaw-dropping fashion in tenths.
However, Ngannou was adamant. Boxing seems to be more of a man’s legitimate goal than a lucrative game. “I’m sure if I do my own punches it’s pretty good,” he said. “I can (do) some damage.” Indeed, Independence wrote that “Francis Ngannou has said that his next contract with the promotion of mixed martial arts must include a clause allowing him to switch to boxing. “
A rich true story, Ngannou moved from his native Cameroon to France as a young man looking for opportunities. “Moved by love watching a Mike Tyson play,” John Morgan of MMAJUNKIE wrote, “Ngannou thinks boxing can provide a way out of poverty.” The future UFC star was convinced to try his hand at MMA – and the rest, as they say, is history. Unless, of course, Ngannou ends up in the ring with Fury. At worst, it would make for an interesting footnote in every man’s bio.
