Tyson Fury's coach Andy Lee has welcomed the idea of a "freak show fight" against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
Fury, 34, got in the ring to tease a future meeting with Ngannou after knocking out Dillian Whyte to defend his WBC heavyweight title last April. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC in January and has since signed with rival MMA promotion PFL, but the Cameroonian is still keen on stepping foot in the ring.
Fury's domestic rival Joshua ruled out a potential "gimmick" fight against Ngannou, but 'The Gypsy King' reignited the fight by calling out Ngannou last week on Instagram. Fury's trainer thinks a crossover fight against Ngannou poses less risk than fighting a top heavyweight boxer, which is why it makes sense for the Brit.
Do you want to see Tyson Fury fight Francis Ngannou? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
"There's only a few people out there who can actually fight Tyson," Lee told Fox Sports Australia. "He's achieved so much, it's really a case of who is out there to challenge him? While the fight [with Ngannou] would be a special type of attraction, like a freak show, if it's about making the most money with the lowest amount of risk, that's smart."
"At Tyson's age, the years he's put into the game, why not? I think it's a good fight for him, but as for how long it lasts? Tyson could make it go for as long as he wanted. He could mess around a bit, make Francis look good. Like Floyd Mayweather does sometimes. Then he could take him out when he needs to."
Ngannou, who hasn't fought since last January, is set to make his PFL debut next year but he wants to have a boxing fight before stepping in the cage. 'The Predator' responded to Fury's comments last week by tweeting: "I have been here the whole time Tyson Fury. Since none of these boxers want to fight, let’s make it official."
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who is also signed to PFL, offered Fury a two-fight deal against Ngannou that would see the pair fight in boxing and MMA. "This would be iconic. Two fight deal - boxing and mma," Paul suggested. "Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury. One fight in the UK, one fight in Africa. I know Francis is man enough to get into the boxing ring. Tyson Fury, you man enough to get in the cage?"
