Francis Ngannou has doubled down on his claims about Tyson Fury’s gloves and urged the commission to ‘do their job’ properly by reviewing them in detail before their crossover bout.
Ngannou will go toe-to-toe with Fury in a highly anticipated crossover bout that will take place in Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season – the annual entertainment and sports festival – on October 28.
It will be the first time Ngannou has ever competed in a sanctioned boxing bout, but the former UFC heavyweight champion is confident he can cause an upset by beating Fury.
However, Ngannou expressed concerns over Fury’s gloves earlier in the week, telling Joe Rogan that he had ‘heard a lot of complaints about the Gypsy Kings gloves’ as many boxer felt there was ‘no protection’.
When asked to discuss the matter in more detail after working out with Mike Tyson in the gym, Ngannou said: ‘Well, I just hope we have the right commission, the right people who do their job and check those gloves.’
Francis Ngannou has called for checks to be made on Tyson Fury’s gloves ahead of their fight
Deontay Wilder (left) is among those to raise concerns about the Gypsy King’s (right) gloves
The former UFC champion went on to add: ‘It’s not only one fighter that has spoken about his gloves. So, I would rather get that figured out before the fight.
‘I have never fought him, so I can’t make it as a statement but I do hear that there is something wrong with his gloves. It might be true or it might not be true but I need to at least double check and make sure before the fight.’
Fury’s former opponent Deontay Wilder previously raised concerns that the heavyweight champion didn’t have sufficient padding in his gloves prior to their trilogy fight.
Fury previously used traditional horse hair padding in his gloves that Nevada State Athletic Commission (NASC) officials confirmed were permitted to be used prior to his former contest with the American.
However, Ngannou is still conscious about Fury’s gloves and wants to ensure they met regulation guidelines – which state they cannot be twisted, manipulated, altered or ill-fitting.
Fury is the big favourite heading into the huge-money showdown taking place in Riyadh, with Ngannou ditching the UFC octagon for a chance to make history in the boxing ring.
Ngannou (right) wants assurances that Fury’s (left) gloves meet regulation guidelines which state they can’t be twisted, manipulated, altered or ill-fitted