Heavyweight titan Tyson Fury is teaming up with renowned UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall to prepare for his impending face-off with Francis Ngannou.
Fury, the heavyweight champ, is set to clash with Ngannou on October 29 in Saudi Arabia, following the disintegration of his anticipated undisputed title face-off with Oleksandr Usyk. While initially planned as an exhibition match with a "no-knockdown" rule, the bout will be officially counted in both fighters' records, marking Ngannou's professional boxing debut.
Aspinall, a close ally of Fury, has credited Fury's uncle Peter for reshaping his perspective on fighting. Known as 'The Gypsy King,' Fury has relied on Aspinall's assistance during past training camps. The 30-year-old Aspinall will now aid Fury in readying himself for Ngannou. Aspinall revealed to Mirror Fighting, "I actually spoke to Tyson and he needs some help with his training and stuff, so we might have a little link-up and explore that a little bit."
"When I spar boxers, I sometimes give them more issues than other boxers would because I do things a little bit different than usual boxers would. There is punching involved in our sport, but it's definitely not boxing. It's way different," he added.
While many fighters and analysts have dismissed Ngannou's odds of defeating Fury, Aspinall maintains that 'The Predator' does have a slight chance of emerging victorious. Ngannou, the holder of the record for the most potent punch ever landed, originally aimed to become a boxer before an old coach nudged him towards MMA.
According to Aspinall, "If you stick Ngannou in a boxing ring or a cage with somebody, he's always got a chance of winning," although he concedes that "Tyson will absolutely school him" in terms of skill level. "Over the course of 12 rounds, it's a tough task for Ngannou to win that fight unless he catches him early," he admitted.
Although Fury's WBC title is not at stake, as Ngannou does not rank in WBC's top-15, 'The Predator' could secure the lineal heavyweight champion title with an upset. After parting ways with the UFC in January in pursuit of a lucrative boxing contract, Ngannou signed with rival MMA firm PFL, whose contract terms allow him to compete in boxing.
Comments