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Francis Ngannou fumbled the bag. That was what many fans and pundits thought before the announcement was unveiled that he’d be facing Tyson Fury in a 10-round boxing match at the end of October in Saudi Arabia for a 10-figure purse. And that’s in addition to a PFL deal worth millions, as well.
Now that the particulars of the bout have been released and made official, notable boxers and industry pros have weighed in on his chances at victory and the general consensus is that he hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in the hot place at winning this contest. Among them happens to be one of the pound-for-pound best boxers in the world.
Terence Crawford is ice cold
Ahead of his mega-fight with Errol Spence next weekend, Terence Crawford was asked his thoughts on whether Francis had a shot at beating Fury. Without missing a beat, Crawford said “Zero.” That one word was an entire mouthful and it seems to be the prevailing thought in both the boxing and MMA communities.
Others weigh in
Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew was bowled over by the prospect of Ngannou having his first pro bout against the reigning lineal heavyweight boxing champion. Here’s what he replied when Ariel Helwani tweeted out the announcement:
“Said this would happen Months ago and people were calling me a hater! It’s great business and believe me people will watch it! HOWEVER someone making his professional boxing debut against the best heavyweight in the world is CRAZY! Read back what I’ve just said! MADNESS!”
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn would issue this statement:
“I don’t blame Tyson Fury for fighting Francis Ngannou, it’s what you want. He doesn’t seem as bothered about legacy or undisputed [titles], he is going to fight a guy that could fight him a million times and never beat him and he’s going to make forty million. Good luck to him.”
Other pros in the industry like Carl Froch were outright angry with the decision to make the bout. In an interview with BettingSites.co.uk he had this to say,
“It’s a frustrating time for heavyweight boxing. Frank Warren’s just announced Tyson Fury will fight Francis Ngannou, who is an MMA fighter, so it’s another crossover fight – load of rubbish. He’s on about, ‘the game’s changed, it’s going to change the whole sport’. Absolute load of s—t. I don’t like swearing, but it’s a load of s—t. We don’t want to see that fight. We want to see Tyson Fury in there with Usyk.”
Heavyweight star Anthony Joshua had a decidedly less acerbic take, despite the fact that he’d been seeking a title bout with Fury and had even been in preliminary talks about a fight with Ngannou, as well.
“[I have] three thoughts. ‘One – I shouldn’t give a f—k, it’s none of my business. It has no business concerning me. It pays me no business,” Joshua told iFL TV. Number two – Why? He should’ve been fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Straight up. That’s nonsense. Three – If we’re acknowledging his business, good luck to the man. Do your thing. If it’s right for him, what’s it got to do with me? That’s my three views on it.”
When you really stop to think of the magnitude of what Francis Ngannou was able to accomplish in an industry that typically doesn’t see nor encourage independent success, it’s actually mind-blowing. Randy Couture couldn’t do it. Tito Ortiz couldn’t do it. Not even Conor McGregor could do it without a heavy split with the UFC. It may end up biting the PFL in the ass, but as far as what Francis was able to accomplish, that bit is downright monumental. What’s also monumental is the task ahead of Ngannou. As a matter of fact, it’s nigh on impossible, but impossible seems to be his forte right now.
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