The once labelled ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ is seeking to help another fighter claim that title, as Mike Tyson sets about preparing Francis Ngannou for his boxing debut against the current WBC world champion, Tyson Fury.
Although he is yet to enter the squared circle, Ngannou’s fearsome reputation as a knockout artist proceeds him ahead of his first taste of professional boxing.
On his route to the UFC heavyweight title, the 36-year-old claimed eleven victories, all by stoppage and all bar one coming by way of knockout.
As a result, Ngannou’s name is forever etched into the history of the MMA organisation as one of its most brutal punchers.
Who better to train a man so daunting than a man who shares that same esteem in the sport of boxing?
During his rise to the world title, Tyson knocked out twenty-five of his twenty-seven counterparts, recording an astonishing eighteen consecutive stoppages within one year of his professional debut.
Since retiring in 2005, Tyson has remained ever-present in the sport, regularly interviewing current fighters on his podcast, Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson.
Now, he is set to make the ringwalk once again as he trains Ngannou. On his social media, the heavyweight legend showed the intense training that he has been putting Ngannou through with the ambition of pulling off the ultimate upset.
The Fury-Ngannou spectacle is scheduled to take place on October 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, although the heavyweight world title will not be on the line in the ten-round bout.
Boxing fans largely believe there to be little jeopardy in the contest for Fury, who is widely considered one of the best active fighters on the planet.
