Minutes into a scheduled press conference in London, Tyson Fury, heavyweight champion, morphed into Tyson Fury, supersized entertainer. Seizing a mic, Fury paced the dais. He complimented his opponent, Francis Ngannou, whom Fury will face Oct. 28 (“You’re one good looking S.O.B,” Fury said), thanked the event’s host, Saudi Arabia, and praised Ngannou for walking away from UFC and betting on himself.
“Everyone said he’s an idiot,” Fury said. “Now he’s going to make $10 million.”
As good as Fury is in the ring—and the undefeated Fury is very good—this is his element. He shakes every hand. He does every interview. He takes every picture. He’s like P.T. Barnum, with power. Even the perfunctory, post-presser face-off—where a shirtless, flabby Fury stood nose to nose with the chiseled Ngannou—was entertaining.
Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports (Ngannou); Morgan Hancock/IMAGO (Fury)
Critics have panned Fury-Ngannou, understandably. Fury, 35, is the best heavyweight in boxing and a fixture on pound-for-pound lists. Ngannuo, 37, is a career-long mixed martial artist who will be making his boxing debut. On Thursday those involved in the promotion made an effort to sell it as a real fight. “I have never seen anyone, whether it’s boxing or MMA, with the power Francis has,” said Bob Arum. Frank Warren, Fury’s longtime promoter, argued that “while it lasts, it’s going to be exciting.”
“People, especially the f---ing media, are like, ‘Francis doesn’t have a chance,’” said Fury. “So I say if I go to the old battle cruiser across the road and I get in a brawl with a drunken guy, he’s going to hit me and he might have a chance at knocking me out. So how am I not going to prepare 100% for an absolute killing machine over there? He’s trying to take my brains out.”
Ngannou’s power is real. Ask Stipe Miocic, Jairzinho Rozenstruik or any of the dozen fighters Ngannou stopped in UFC. For this fight Ngannou has enlisted Mike Tyson, a legendary power puncher, to train him. Tyson’s advice: Throw bombs. “If it does land, goodnight,” said Ngannou. Indeed, stand and trade with Ngannou at your own risk.
But Fury isn’t going to trade with Ngannou. He’s going to pepper him with jabs. “Channel Larry Holmes,” said Fury. He’s going to flummox him with head movement. And when Ngannou tires—more than half of Ngannou’s UFC fights ended in the first round—Fury will batter him with right hands that put Deontay Wilder out twice.
Calling Ngannou a long shot is an insult to long shots. Powerball winners had better odds.
“He’s got a big head,” said Fury. “It’s going to be hard to miss.”
But really—who cares? Criticism from Fury’s peers is disingenuous. Think Anthony Joshua wouldn’t jump on this exact same deal? Or Wilder? Tony Bellew, a former cruiserweight champion, called the fight “a joke.” If Bellew got the offer he’d be laughing his way to the bank.
Boxing purists have argued this fight is beneath Fury. And it is. What fans want is a showdown between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The two titleholders negotiated for months early in the year, only to have the deal fall apart. That left Fury in need of an opponent. Joshua turned him down. Andy Ruiz, according to Fury, priced himself out.
Could Fury have fought Filip Hrgović, Frank Sanchez or Martin Bakole? Sure. Would any of those fights have moved the needle? No. Instead Fury will collect eight figures for a fight it will take an act of God for him to lose.
Arum suggested cynical reporters check Ngannou’s tapes. If you do you will see a heavy-handed fighter who punches in slow-motion. At least by boxing standards. If Wilder’s quick-trigger right hand is a Ferrari, Ngannou’s is a Volkswagen. Ngannou admitted he’s been working on a “delivery system” for his punches. “It’s a very important element for me in this fight,” Ngannou said. From the opposite end of the table, Fury simply smiled.
“If I lose to an MMA guy,” said Fury, “I’ll never be able to show my face in public again.”
Fury-Ngannou is a cash grab, plain and simple. The Saudis want it, and with a bottomless well of money earmarked for sports, they get what they want. It will draw UFC fans eager to watch Ngannou. It will attract boxing fans who follow Fury. It will even pull in casual fans interested to see if this bald big man with a spare tire around his waist is really superior to the MMA heavy hitter.
“I’m going to be out there hunting for that guy’s head,” declared Ngannou.
Good luck finding it.
