Mike Tyson shared a glimpse into his training camp with Francis Ngannou ahead of the UFC star’s bout with Tyson Fury.
Ngannou takes on Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28 as the Gypsy King returns to the ring for the first since he beat Derek Chisora in December 2022.
Ngannou will be making his boxing debut after being released from the UFC in June and has enlisted the help of one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
The 36-year-old will have Tyson in his corner with Iron Mike getting the former UFC champion ready for the bout.
Tyson shared a glimpse of him training the PFL star as he puts him through his paces in new footage.
Mike Tyson (right) shared a glimpse into his training camp with Francis Ngannou
Iron Mike getting former UFC champion Ngannou (right) ready for his clash against Tyson Fury
The clip, taken from the first day of training camp, opens with Tyson telling a fatigued Ngannou, ‘You know this is just the beginning. You hear me, Francis? This is just the beginning.’
The boxing legend then steps in and hits the pads showing Ngannou how it’s done. The former UFC star replicates his trainer and, while notably slower, still looks to pack a punch.
Tyson can be heard in the background advising Ngannou to relax his arms before offering some words of encouragement.
Tyson shared the clip with a simple caption that fired a warning to Fury, writing: ‘We’re just getting started @francis_ngannou, remember that.’
Ngannou announced he had brought Tyson into his camp to help him train at the beginning of August, hailing it as the best decision.
‘Bringing Mike Tyson into my training camp is one of the best decisions I can make to prepare for Tyson Fury in the ring at this year’s Riyadh Season,’ Ngannou said.
‘Mike Tyson is an idol of mine in the sport. His experience and boxing IQ will be important to honing my technique under his guidance to win this super fight.
‘I’ve been wanting this fight for years and now that it’s here, I’m focused on fighting the greatest fight of my career and shocking the world on the most epic stage for the fans in Riyadh. October 28th, the world will know who’s the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”‘
Ngannou – who had an extremly impressive UFC record of 17-3 – is being trained by Tyson
Fury hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since he beat Derek Chisora in London in December 2022
Tyson recently weighed in on the bout, claiming Ngannou packs a harder punch than anyone Fury has fought in his career.
‘Tyson Fury got dropped by a small guy (Steve Cunningham) early in his career,’ he told Jim Rome.
‘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 separate occasions, with Fury hitting the canvas four 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.
‘He’s moving his head, he’s getting it together and he’s really determined to do this.’
Tyson, pictured with wife Lakiha Spicer at the US open this week, weighed in on the bout
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.