Mike Tyson has issued some bold predicitons for the upcoming bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury.
Fury takes on Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28 as he returns to the ring for the first since he beat Derek Chisora in December 2022.
The Gypsy King has not fought since as attempts to set up an undisputed clash for the heavyweight world titles with Oleksandr Usyk were unsuccessful, as were a potential Battle of Britain match-up with Anthony Joshua.
Meanwhile, Ngannou will be making his boxing debut after being released from the UFC in June.
And legendary boxer Mike Tyson has had his say, hinting that Ngannou packs a harder punch than anyone Fury has fought in his career.
Mike Tyson has had his say on the upcoming bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury
Ngannou – who had an extremly impressive UFC record of 17-3 – is being trained by Tyson
The former unified heavyweight champion will be training Ngannou ahead of his clash with Fury, and he did not hold back on his predictions.
Tyson told Jim Rome: ‘Tyson Fury got dropped by a small guy (Steve Cunningham) early in his career.
‘This guy (Ngannou) punches like God knows who, he moves quicker, I’ve worked with his speed.
‘Listen man, he only has to land one or two, Tyson’s never been in the ring with a guy that can punch this hard.
‘I think this guy punches harder than anybody he’s ever fought.’
The Gypsy King has experience with hard hitters, fighting notorious power puncher Deontay Wilder on three seperate occasions, with Fury hitting the canvas four different times across the trilogy.
Ngannou has a record of 17 wins and three losses in the UFC, with 12 knockouts, however Wilder failed to KO Fury in all of their bouts, which may bode well for the the Gypsy King.
On the Predator, Tyson insisted: ‘He just needs gotta go all-out aggression, punch him to the body, punch him to the head, as we’ve been working with.
Fury hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since he beat Derek Chisora in London in December 2022
‘He’s moving his head, he’s getting it together and he’s really determined to do this.’
Fury is undoubtedly the favourite heading into the fight, but Tyson hinted at a result that could shake the combat sports community to its very core.
‘He really wants to do this for his country and his people, it’s patriotic pride. I’m very excited about this’ said Tyson.
He even concluded: ‘It would be a bigger upset that Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson.’
Douglas famously shocked the world with a 10th round KO of Mike Tyson in 1990 in a bout widely considered the greatest upset in boxing history.