Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Press Conference

Baddest man on the planet October 28th the WBC and Lineal World Heavyweight Champion of the World Tyson Fury Will meet quite possibly one of the most dangerous men in combat sport the former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Francis Ungarno it is available to watch on all your normal pay-per-view channels It’s press conference day and there is no way that these two weren’t gonna be here Carl Frantz and Dan Hardy. How are you guys? I mean, it’s just an incredible room, an incredible atmosphere in here, and what a spectacle fight this is going to be. Yeah, I think the word is spectacle here. This feels very different from anything we’ve experienced before. Yeah, look, it’s a huge event and an event that I’m delighted to be involved in. I’m genuinely looking forward to the event. I know that I may get a little bit of stick thrown at me from Die Hard Boxing fans for saying that, but that is genuinely how I feel. that, you know, the heavyweight champion of the world and taste and fury fighting, some would argue one of the best UFC fighters that have ever lived. So, I mean, I’m excited about it. Well, I think we have to make the point. It is a proper boxing match. It is under boxing rules. It is 10 rounds. There will be three judges. There will be scorecards and there will be a winner. Yeah. Yeah. And that’s what’s going to happen. We’ll see a winner on the night. I have a strong favorite in the fight, as you would probably imagine, but it’s just going to be really interesting to see just, I suppose, what Francis Nganni can do. Can he make it competitive? Can he land his big shot? We all know he’s a serious puncher. I’m not rating him off completely. Everybody has a chance in a fight, especially when you punch as hard as him, but it’s just going to be really interesting to see. Well Dan, you know more than anyone about MMA fighters how tough they really are. Yeah I mean you know he’s incredibly tough, he’s incredibly powerful, he’s incredibly game and determined to prove that this is the right call for him to make stepping into the boxing ring against you know the best guy on the planet right now. Of course he’s up he’s up against it but then when you’ve got unnatural power like Francis Ngarnu’s got you kind of feel like you can roll the dice on anything like he knows he can connect with any person’s chin on the planet and he’ll put them out. Now connecting with Tyson Fury’s chin is a real tough test but if anyone’s going to do it it’s going to be someone that’s got the horsepower of Francis in Ghana that can cover that distance and connect. Does his unorthodox style and when he’s punching does that give him a better chance at winning this fight? See I think it does you know especially someone like Tyson Fury he’s gonna feed off someone that’s got good boxing fundamentals because they’re predictable right he can slip he can counter he can tie them up the thing within Ghana is he’s not got the traditional boxing training so it could be quite unorthodox with his direction of his punches with his his weapon selection with his timing, like footwork, he’s going to be chaotic, most likely he’s going to be switching his stance. There’s going to be a lot of new things for Tyson Fury to figure out in quick rounds where you’ve got someone that can take your head off. Not comparing Francis and Ganu to a novice, like a novice fighter, but you always often hear boxers talking about struggling with novice fighters in the gym because they are so unorthodox, so there might be a little case of that here. Well it’s just worth explaining where we actually are. We are on the red carpet, So the fighters will be making went their way down there. In fact, the who’s who of boxing and possibly MMA could well be here today We are gonna grab them. We’re gonna get them into our little studio. We’re gonna have a chat with them We’re gonna see what the general feeling is how people are feeling about this fight about their own fights And maybe a couple of other people as well that we are gonna swing in So we’re very much looking forward to this one It’s worth noting as well that Tyson’s belt is not on the line here. Yeah, look I think rightfully so. I mean, I don’t think it would be unfair to boxers who are waiting on lane. The fake taste and fury other heavyweights that Francis Ngannou coming from an MMA background straight into a title fight against the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. So I think that’s only fair. Yeah, that’s just saying. Frank Warren has described this event as a game changer. What do you think you meant by that, Don? You know, I think it means that he’s opened the door to a lot of other things happening. I mean, combat sports in the last few years has changed tremendously from boxing being a thing and MMA being a thing. Now we’ve got influencers involved and people crossing over from one sport to another and comedians getting involved in mixed martial arts. There’s all kinds of things happening in mixed martial arts and in combat sports generally. And I think probably what Frank was referring to is the fact that everything’s on the table now. Like if you’re a star in a sport and you wanna try something else, we could potentially make it happen. And if you can punch, even better. All right, we’ve got our first arrivals on the red carpet. So if I turn behind me, Mark Rice is stood there. Mark, would you like to come join us? Come join us, come join us. Hi, I am here. Love your work. Mark, come stand in between Dan and Carl. There we go. Carl, I’ll use your mic. It is incredibly hot in here. I can’t tell you, it’s like 30 degrees in London today. Mark, welcome. What has brought you out here tonight? I’m a massive fan of the big man. I’ve been to a- Which one? Tyson, the real big man. I’ve been to a lot of his fights. the last five particularly I love what he does and he’s a showman so whatever is gonna happen tonight’s gonna be entertaining and I love boxing. How do you feel about Francis Ngarniw as an opponent? This is like an unknown we’ve not seen. I feel like it’s interesting I feel like people aren’t giving it the credit it deserves. They are two of the baddest men on the planet in their respective sports. It’s interesting I think there’s only one winner personally but yeah I can’t wait to see it. How do you think it’ll play out the fights? We’ve got a prediction for us? Listen if they if they fought ten times if they fought ten times you never know anything could happen but I think nine out of them ten and probably ten out of them ten Fury wins. If he’s in a ring he goes into an obstacle it might change but Cole will tell you this when you’ve boxed all your life and it’s like with the likes of KSI and Jake Paul who I’ve got utmost respect for but as soon as they fight somebody who’s boxed since they were young they can read that punch coming the footwork’s already there he’s just born in them and when someone like Tyson Fury gets in the ring not only is he unbelievably skilled he’s done it all his life he’s a boxing man through the heart so I can only see one outcome. I think we all kind of agree with that and we’re all kind of thinking that it’s it’s going to be a hard night for Francis and if he does win it’s a very very small chance. If we flipped it and Tyson Fury was in the octagon would he have a better chance of beating Francis than Francis does of beating him in this boxing match? Would Tyson have a better chance in the oxygen than Francis than this yeah no no no I think um if they if there’s if they’re stood front on and they’re exchanging punches then yeah but I think if Francis runs him and starts wrestling him Fury doesn’t know what that feels like so no probably not what what is it about what is it about Fury that that what draws you to his fights is it the character the style what is it the reason why I think of Fury Usyk fight is so interesting is because and I’ll let Cole correct me if if I’m wrong, this is just from a fan and not a boxing man, but a boxing fan, but not a boxing man. Fury to me fights like a middleweight, super middleweight. His movement, his head movement, his foot movement. If you look at the heavyweight division, and there’s nothing wrong with this, but even when you go back to Bruno, Lewis, AJ now, they’re very flat footed, they’re very heavy, it’s a few punches as a hold. Whereas Fury’s just so energetic, he’s lively, the way he moves, but Usyk also does that. And Usyk has fought people like Fury before, was I don’t really think Fury has fought people like Usyk. So that’s why that’s such an interesting matchup. And that’s why I love Fury, because I think he’s fighting at the heavyweight, in the heavyweight division, there isn’t anybody like him other than Usyk now. And he’s just, I just think he’s an absolute genius at what he does at that weight. Yeah, thank you for all your stuff. Thank you for all your stuff. I was gonna say, would you ever be interested in doing some sort of like boxing crossover? I’ve had my go, I used to be in the amateur’s when I was young I had about six fights and then I did two exhibitions in my early 20s. But I’ve got to protect the old boat race now so I’ve fallen away from it. No, definitely not, definitely not. Mark, we thank you very much for joining us. Hope you enjoy this. Quickly, what do you expect from this press conference? A show. I mean, look at that alone, straight away. Fury, you know, the gypsy king, he’s always going to pull something out of the bag so it’s going to be energetic, lively and I’m buzzing to be here. We’ll go and enjoy it. We thank you very much indeed. Thanks so much. Great. Right. We’re up. We’re on the way. Mark Wright is in. We are going to get loads more people. I think he knows the stuff as well. He does, doesn’t he? He really is a great sportsman. He’s a great footballer as well. He’s clearly got boxing knowledge as well, which is great. But what can we expect from this press conference? He’s wanting a show. Yeah, I think, you know, taste and fury and being taste and fury, we can probably expect something to happen. I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Um, but just speaking to Don kind of behind the scenes, Francis is like a very cold character. I don’t think he’s expected to get or have a reaction from anything that Tyson says, so it’ll just be interesting to see if maybe Tyson can get him to bait at anything. Do you think he’ll get him to bite? I don’t think so, no. You know, Inganu is a very stoic individual, and I think he’s gonna try and figure out Tyson Fury right now. I think he’s gonna try and understand this character, of a press conference. You know, Tyson’s a very unusual character. He’s got a lot of character. Ingarnu is just going to absorb it and witness what’s going on and try and figure it out and save that for the fight. I think. Is this where the mind games begin today? Absolutely. Absolutely. Especially for Tyson. I mean, that’s part of his game. He’ll try and get under the skin of Ingarnu, I think. But I think when he realized he’s not going to get a rise out of him, you might abandon it. Yeah. Oh, here comes trouble. Here comes trouble. I had a back in February. How are you? I’m very well. I’m very well. I’m very fabulous. How much are you looking forward to this fight? Oh, this is oh hey, this is something special. You know, it looks like it’s skill against strength and you know, like I’m known for strength. So I’m gonna have to go for strength now. You know what I’m looking forward to this man. This is something special. Who do you tip in? How do you think it’ll go on the night? Listen, it’s boxing in it and the guy that’s going in there Fury is when it comes to skills wise he’s to be fair he’s one of the best but then boy my man’s got a really big strong jaw so listen that’s what that’s for me that’s what the fun bit about this is you’re gonna see Fury’s gonna jab off his head that’s what it looks like for me but my man’s got power and I don’t want to try and brag and I’m not about strength so if he catches he’s got a chance that’s where it comes down to and that’s what love the thing about heavyweight is you’ve got chance and if he catches him then it could be night is the hope that kills you said it’s the hope it’s the chance that actually it could happen and who has more to lose in this fight oh it’s a harder listen the way for me the way the industry society’s gone it’s it’s both of them you know I’m saying but listen I guess it’s boxing so fury and if you’re a look loses at boxing then it’s for you you don’t think so? No easily Fury has so much to lose. He give me a look to be fair because my big man is boxing, so yeah it’s Fury. Fury, Fury, I mean how does Fury, can you just imagine the aftermath of Fury gets beat by a guy who’s having his first professional boxing match? I mean he’s so much to lose. Yeah, because where do you go from there? I don’t know. How do you deal with it? How do you deal with the criticism? Do you think that weighs on him. Knowing Tyson, knowing how he carries these kind of events normally, the unpredictability of Inganu, the power that he’s got. Listen, I don’t. I think he is unapologetically himself. I think he’s confident. And I think like when you got into any sort of arena, any event, of course, you’ve got to contemplate the what ifs, but then you’ve got to back yourself. And there ain’t nobody that backs himself like him. So he’s going to go in there and he’s going to be like, look, you’re on my field, you’re in my arena. So regardless of what, he’s come up against many big punches before but i think it does listen at the end of the day i was joking or making about strength and he has got a chance but at the end of the day Tyson Fury at his craft is one of the best so i think he’s getting in there thinking look don’t matter what you frighten me i’ll be able to adapt and put him down so and that’s what makes it so appealing to watch so we’re looking forward to it man awesome yeah we’re gonna let you go and enjoy it thank you side i look at me desperate to get the other good experience the hospitality good to see you but it’s an interesting point isn’t about Tyson is actually putting reputation fully on the line here. All the pressures on Tyson in this fight. A question I wanted to ask you was, Tyson is going to hit Francis a lot in this fight. What’s his chin like? Is he got a solid chin? Does he take a good shot? He can take a very good shot. Here we go. Alright boys, you’re going to interrupt this chat. Oh, big Joe. Joe Joyce. How are you Joe? Hello, how are you? You are in the right place. Welcome. Oh, thank you. you. There you go. You got that one. Joe, how are you? How are you feeling? Yeah, feeling good. Feeling pumped, ready, focused, switched on, a bit heavier. Good to go. Kyle, how’s it looking? Yeah, he’s looking good. What sort of changes? I wanted to ask you this question. What changes have you made from the first fight? Because we know you got it wrong, and I think you would be open and honest enough to admit that. I favored you going to the fight, but I still favor you in this fight. I think with changes, you can win this but what have you done differently in camp this time? Just got everything right, been like a lot more disciplined and focused and switched on like in terms of camp and I’ve got, maybe I took my eye off the ball a little bit in the first fight and like just making sure I ticked all the boxes and dotted all the eyes and stuff, whatever the saying is is and like it’s it’s it’s a bit more practice with a southpaw stance like again in terms of sparring and technique and tactics but also yeah getting my body bigger and stronger and more ready for the job to fight Zang because Zang kind of surprised me like he would be speed and accuracy and power and you know got a bit of the tactics wrong on the night so there’s a lot of little bits to nitpick that were kind of being handled in this camp. See, do you know what, hindsight’s a wonderful thing. I thought you coming in late for that fight and in the shape that you were, I thought that was a good thing. You’d be more agile and you’d be moving, but then after a round or two, I was starting to think maybe this is a bad idea here that they’ve come in so late. Yeah, and if I had won the fight like that, then no one would be talking about that and no mistakes that I made in the first camp would have been corrected. So like going forward, it’s kind of giving me, you know, like a wake up call to like pick things up, kick up the back behind Joe, just very quickly before you let go. What do you make of this whole spectacle here today? Yes, it’s amazing. This is this is a cinema strategic screen, right? It’s even got stuff on all around the sides and the ceiling. It’s incredible. The future. Would you ever be interested in a crossover fight? Yeah. Why not? Yeah, I’m open. I’m open. Okay. See what numbers, what number you’re talking. All right, well, yeah. We’ll get back to you on that front. We’ll get back to you. We’re gonna let you go. Best of luck in a couple of weeks as well. Wish you all the luck of the world. Gotta give that back to Dan. Thanks so much, Jack. All the best, big man. All right, one of the main men, Francis Ngarnou. He is on the red carpet right now. We’re gonna get him in with us fairly soon. How do you think he’s feeling? I think he’s feeling supremely confident. I mean, if you walk into a room and you see a giant picture of yourself with a crown, you’ve gotta feel pretty confident, right? I think he’s the man of the moment, and I think he’s gonna be ready for this press conference. All right, we’re gonna bring in Francis Ngannou. Welcome, Francis, great to see you. Welcome, right, you’re gonna use Dan’s mic over there, if that’s all right. Francis Ngannou, how are you feeling about facing up to Tyson Fury today. How are you feeling? I feel pretty good. Yeah, it’s exciting, you know, get you a little pumped up. Good thing I’m seven weeks out. But yeah, just to give you a little boost, a little pick up adrenaline. Perfect. Francis, you’re the main man. We want to hear what you’re going to say. Pop that mic up just a little higher. There we go. Let’s get it in there. Perfect, perfect. I’ve lost my voice. look Tyson fury always puts on a show at these press conferences he’s gonna try mind games i’m sure is he gonna get inside your minds uh no no size of my mind i i don’t think he’s getting anything from me i’m not giving him anything hello how’s the preparation and training going how different has this been training for a boxing match it’s very very different and i um I mean, I knew that, but to get there and feel it, it’s a little different. You know, after like two weeks, you start feeling your shoulder, like, then I’m like, okay, I think my shoulder saw, my shoulder I saw, I think this, then you realize that in two weeks, maybe you have thrown so many punches that you have done in 10 weeks training camp for MMA you know because in MMA you throw one two one two three and then take down or kick or stuff that doesn’t work in boxing. Who is the pressure on on this freight Francis is it on you or Tyson Fury more so? With what? The pressure is it is it more on yourself or is it more on Tyson? Why should the pressure be in somebody hey listen man I think at this point of life I’m living a dream I’m enjoying you know one thing that I make sure the only pressure that is on me is to give everything to put out the work that I can do do everything that is in my position and I’m doing that so I’m pretty I’m good you’ve got Mike Tyson in in your camp, what does that mean to have him there? What have you drawn from him? Oh, a lot of things. I mean, I’ve known Mike Tyson since, I don’t know how long, and I’ve met him a couple of times, but to have him this time around, I’m like, okay. You know, I was a little confused sometimes. I’m like, no, he’s not here just to watch. he’s here because of my fight you know to help me he’s actually like giving me instruction and stuff then I’m like man it’s Mike Tyson right I’m not tripping so it’s real so that’s how this that’s how big this is you know what’s Mike Tyson’s thoughts on Tyson Fury have you picked Mike Tyson’s brain what does he think of Tyson Fury? I mean Mike Tyson is a professional fighter, professional boxer, the best that have ever lived and one thing that I know about him and wish what make him be what be there is that he knows how to rip his open and he no doubt how and he respected them you know so he think a lot of good think about Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury, and he has a lot of respect to him as a fighter and but he’s on my corner, bro. So he has chosen his side. I think if he wasn’t like, if he wasn’t me, if he was the Tyson Fury and somebody else, I think Mike Tyson would have choose Tyson Fury. But for now it’s me. So that confidence, that confidence from Mike Tyson must be good for your confidence? Oh absolutely and it’s not only about the confidence it’s also about like you know the feeling even the technical aspect I mean obviously I would not like in couple months or by the way nobody have ever imitated Mike Tyson style and do it as best as him so it’s not something that that I’m going to do it, but still, there is a lot of things that I have to, that I’m learning from it, because when you look at boxing, he wasn’t just good at knocking people out, but he was very good on moving his boxing technique. I always say Mike Tyson is the only guy that you can, only professional fighter or a champion that you can go out there, put his video, and show a five years kid like, look, this how they box, right? Because all those professional, they have a different style, different stuff. As long as they become professional, they start to drop their hand, they start to move differently, which is not how they teach boxing in the first year, right? But Mike Tyson was like basic, and those basic works for him his entire life. And it’s amazing, you know what I’m like, how can somebody do something so perfectly? You know, he has to put his fight, watch it in a slow motion, then you’re like, okay, I think this is just, I mean, a lot of hard work, but it’s unique, it’s a gift from him. Awesome. Francis, we are gonna let you carry on with your media duties elsewhere. Thank you so much for coming to join us. We wish you the very best of luck in the fight. We look forward to the face-off the press conference. That is Francis Ngarnu who will be facing off against Tyson Fury a little bit later in the press conference. He’s looking confident. Nice big guy, very very confident as well. It was interesting to know about the input of Mike Tyson and being his coach going into this fight but he kind of talked about Mike Tyson’s style. I wanted to ask a question. that’s going to be some of the skillset that he recruits from Mike Tyson. I mean, as he said, there was nothing particularly spectacular or flamboyant about what Mike Tyson did. It was good basics, right? So if you can give him some of those good basics, the little peekaboo style and some of the little bump in footwork, even just those basic skillsets that he has, he’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able to do that. He’s going to be able of the little bump in footwork. Even just those pieces added to his game with his natural powers going to make him a lot more dangerous in there. Do you think Francis Ngannou has had to find another level in this fight camp? Because both fighters are used to the camp, the training, but in their respective sports. So for Tyson, this is just pretty much all right. I know he’s fighting the unknown, but it’s pretty much still a boxing camp for him. For Francis Ngannou, he’s never done a boxing camp before. It’s going to be so much more difficult. Well, difficult in the sense that I’m not saying boxing camps are more difficult than than preparing for a fight in the UFC, but it’s more difficult for Francis because he’s never done it before. So it’s a completely different sport and he now has to get ready for three minute rounds rather than five minute rounds. He’s got to get ready for ten of them three minute rounds with minute breaks in between rather than five minutes of a break and he goes up to five rounds obviously. So there’s a lot of differences in preparation he’s a very calm guy. I mean, he’s a very calm person for a boxer than there is a UFC guy or an MMA guy. So it’ll just be interesting to see how you can cope with it all. He seems quite a calm guy. There’s like an aura around it when you stand next to him. Just then he was very calm, well spoken, do what he wanted to sort of say in a press conference. How will he be up against Tyson? Furious think you’ll keep that same exactly the same. He’ll be the same all the way through fight week. It And you know if you dig into his backstory and you kind of see what he went through to get to France and to you Know the sacrifices that he went through Everything else is bonus material for him right now. He feels like he’s on borrowed time This that’s why he’s so calm and confident. I feel we mentioned about his background there is worth actually noticing This is probably a bit of a lifelong dream for him because he actually wanted to be a boxer before he went into MMA So there is some skill there to start with I think I read he trained for a year before he switched to MMA This is it. He had a natural desire to be a boxer before a mixed martial artist He just happened to walk into a gym the MMA factory They had a lot of big heavyweights in there and they were you know They were training alongside him realized that he’s got more skills to offer than just his hands and that explosiveness is in his legs His knees his takedowns as well. So, you know, he’s crossed over to mixed martial arts He’s had a lot of success but the mixed martial arts success that he’s had has put him in a position where he can now step into boxing which really I think he’s what he wants to do. He loves boxing more than MMA if I understand him right. You would know this better than me Don but is his… Fabio Wardley is joining us. Fabio, hi, how are you? Great to see you. Sherry, yeah, one of the boys, there you go, there you go. We are. How are you? Fighting on the other card I believe. Yes, very good but we’re here to talk about you. How’s training? Training is going great. Training is going great. Been preparing for a while so we’re having to go to be honest I’m just buzzing to be here it’s a it’s a massive massive event massive event and something I’m I’m really happy to be a part of and really looking forward to enjoying the spectacle on the night and putting on a good performance where does this fight rank for you I think it’s at the top for me I think what the event at least is is the top for me is this this is something special this is something different not I’ve been a part of some big ones I’ve chief supporters and big cards, but this is definitely the biggest one I’ve been on. So, um, yeah, I’m buzzing It’s a really good fight Fabio and it’s one that people have been talking about for quite a while now Are you a bit disappointed that the British title won’t be on the line? Yeah, it’s still TBC. It’s still something we’re working on. It’s all conversation We’re having obviously want it on the line. It’s I want to fight for all the marbles I want to throw me and I want to throw my WBA and I want his WBO in there I want the British in there and when it takes all and we’ll see who comes out on top But if that’s not the case and the British isn’t there then the fights going ahead regardless because it doesn’t it doesn’t take away from the fight It’s still a great fight. Yeah, you are fighting Devin at David Adelaide. I believe it’s actually watching on right now It’s the mind game started Yeah, I’m not entirely sure where he is right now, but the mind game started. How do you see that fight going? For me, look I see it going I will all the 15 of my other fights have gone is that he’ll be he’ll be gone within the distance most definitely I’ve spotted him. I’ve spotted him. Oh, you was looking for him. I was looking for him. He’s keeping an eye. He’s keeping an eye. But he’s keeping an eye on what you’re doing. This just has… Seeing what I’m saying, seeing what the game plan is, seeing if I let off any secrets or anything. Is this exactly the type of fight that you need right now? Not even that I need, that I want. These are the type of fights that I live for, that I thrive on. It’s all fun and games, getting some journeymen in and getting rid of them in a couple of rounds and stuff. And yeah, great. The ones that really get me going, get me going the ones where you see the best of me are these fights are the competitive ones are the back and forths are the ones where there’s some bits on the line and it may get a bit tasty in there and you’ve got to see if you’ve got it or if you haven’t and so far i’ve always proven that i’ve more than got it and i’m looking to do the same on the night how far do you think you are away from the real big boys fabio the likes of taste and fury the likes of music the likes of wilder aj there’s some other tests i need along the way um the biggest one we’ve been talking about for the longest time with me is rounds I can’t seem to get them anywhere can’t seem to find them at all so um are you getting them in the gym though always that’s important always always always always getting them in always pushing myself always doing 12 rounds in the gym so I know I can do them but obviously as a testament it’s something you’ll know as well doing them on the night is a different is a different feeling entirely there’s a different feel to it so that’s the biggest thing for me but I don’t think I’m I’m that far off 18 months or so a couple more fights a couple more tests and I’ll be ready to step in with some with some some high level guys which said this is a huge event to be a part of what do you make of the types of fury francis and ghani fights it’s um it’s crazy that has come together but it makes it so interesting so interesting because there’s so many different facets to it there’s obviously how hard francis can hit there’s obviously how much of a great boxer that fury is and you’ve seen him caught before but you’ve also seen him get back up so you don’t know which bit is gonna play more of a part than the other is he just gonna box and move with. Maybe you’ll get involved. Obviously, you’ve seen him now with Sugar Hill that he really steps on his opponents a bit more. So maybe that’s what he’s going to be implementing. Obviously, Mike Tyson a factor as well with training Francis and Ghanu. So there’s just so many different bits to it that makes it so interesting. I’m going to be I’m going to be buzzing after my fight to get there and watch it ringside as well. We’re looking forward to the fight. Fabio, we’re going to let you go very much. Thank you very much for joining us indeed. If you want to give the mic back to Dan, that’s perfect. I think we’re gonna try and get his opponent in David Adelaide. Can we get him in? No, all right, that’s not David Adelaide, that’s Rio for now, but we are just as delighted to have you with us Rio, how are you? I’m good. Thank you. I’m good. How come no one’s got shorts on but me? I know you are sweating I can tell it is incredibly hot I’m not. We didn’t get the memo. You were more sensible than what we are. But look, this is just an incredible spectacle. What have you made of it so far? It’s amazing. I think whenever Tyson Fury comes to town, it’s entertainment. I’m waiting for a Batman or Superman outfit to pop out at some point. Francis is a guy coming from a different sport altogether. So it’s all systems go here. What do you think will happen in this press conference? I think it’s going to be respectful. I don’t think this needs building. That’s the difference. I think if a fight needs building, I think Tyson is very shrewd and he understands what’s needed to build fights and to sell tickets I don’t think this needs that. I think this sells itself two different disciplines coming together So I think in that sense, I think they respect each other from their background different backgrounds And I think it’ll be respectful going forward a lot of people have written Francis completely off which I understand but because he’s such a big guy because he’s so explosive He’s always got a chance. Do you think you see the fight going? I think just because it just heavyweights the size when the size of these guys when if one of them connects doesn’t matter Where you’re from you go you’re gonna go down and a power that he’s got if he transfers that to this Then he gets he gets hit on the chin Tysons. He will go down, but I just think he’s ring IQ his footwork. He’s His ability what he’s shown an experience. I think it’s just I just genuinely believe that If it’s MMA if this goes to an MMA discipline Tyson gets beat. If he’s boxing Tyson doesn’t get beat. My question would be what would be your advice for Inganu crossing over from one sport to another? Well I don’t know if I’m the right man I’m the most qualified guy to say it but I would say listen I was gonna try but no I mean listen you watching the videos obviously is a key part of it I think in any sport you gotta watch people’s habits and stuff like that and not to get too detailed that I know any of this but you just gotta be looking for that that moment that comes don’t let it go when you can land that right hand. Ray, have you spent some time with Tyson? Yeah, I mean, I interviewed him upstairs, so we had a good half an hour, and he was, uh… He’s so relaxed. This guy’s not going into a big… You would never know that he’s got his titles on the line here. He’s so relaxed. I mean, you’ve been around him more than me, so, you know, is he normally like that? Yeah, I suppose it depends what day you get him on. Some days he’s a lot more relaxed than other days, but for the most, he’s supremely confident in his own ability, whether he’s fighting Francis Ngannou, or it was going to be Usik or AJ or whoever he’s fighting, he’s always very, very confident. We were talking earlier about who actually has more to lose in this fight. For you, who has more to lose? Tyson. Because again, it’s somebody coming to his discipline, coming from another sport, really. So he’s meant to be the guy that he should win this, really, if you’re talking from experience, and that’s his sport. So he’s got much more to lose, I’d say. Are you a fan of these crossover fights? But also kind of, we’re seeing more of the kind of YouTube cross F. All right, not on this. I am when there’s titles on the line. Okay, like there’s there’s titles on the line here So it’s just not this isn’t just like an exhibition. This is that there’s rich. It’s the real deal Yeah, so Tyson’s got something to to lose obviously, but there’s titles that are the big big big prize Thank you so much for joining us really appreciate it. See you see my enjoy the press conference I would need to take a leaf out your local West Shores next time because we are so hot over here. It’s untrue show look this fight whatever people think about it undeniable people are interested it’s the intrigue isn’t it it is it’s the what-if right that’s what we’re that’s what we’re all in for the what this is David Adelaide hello sir how are you all right yeah big fight that’s been spoken about for quite a while you and Fabio are you excited that it’s finally made and on again such a big platform as well yeah it’s a good platform I get to show the world how much I’m gonna knock out this guy you know everyone talks a good game but not all of them are really on having a tussle and we don’t pull out fights over here what’s it like obviously there’s a little bit of needle maybe more than a little bit of needle but there’s a respect there between both guys it is respect you know as you got respecting it’d be silly not to respect him but you know I respect myself more you know and I believe in myself and I back myself every single time David why are you so confident that you can beat Fabio why shouldn’t I be you know I mean I mean should I not be confident I’m just confident I do it you know I know what I do and I know what I’m about you know I don’t take nothing away from him you know he’s a big he’s a big guy just like me we both are defeated you know he does what he needs to do every time he’s up there by the end of the day he’s gonna be having me or him and I choose myself just how much you looking forward to being part of this whole event yeah it’s good. I think I made this event. I mean, the event wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t on it. So it’s only that I’m on the event. What do you feel about crossover fights? Something potentially the future? Do you be interested in? I mean, if I was probably getting the same purse they was, I probably would do it myself. That’s what I suppose. You know, depending on how this one goes, if they’re going in needs and have a comeback fight or something, hey hell, I’m here. They do indeed. Look, best of still like we fight we really look forward to watching it we’re gonna let you go Tyson Fury is somewhere behind us on that red carpet thank you so much take care it really is getting very busy a little bit of chaos down here Tyson I’m Becky, nice to meet you Tyson, it’s just the way it goes sometimes, it’s done. There it is! Are you well? Yeah, good thank you. Tyson, in most of the fights that you go into, most people expect you to win. In this fight, every man and his dog expects you to win. Does that bring a certain type of pressure with it? There’s always pressure. When you’re Tyson Fury, you’re Gypsy King, you undefeated linear champion two times in the world and every other thing that goes with it. There’s always pressure. One in the pressure cooker, one in the frying pan. But I thrive under pressure. I thrive under it. No one can beat me. How do you prepare for the unpredictability of what he brings? Knock him out. Knock a motherfucker out. That’s what we do. I’ve been with Sugar Hill now for four fights. I’ve knocked out four motherfuckers so this will be the next one. Have you been watching back Francis Ngadu’s UFC fights at all? I haven’t no to be honest with you I’ve seen a couple of Francis’s fights with Stipe and Serogan and um what’s the I was going to say Craig Lewis it’s not Craig is it Derek Lewis I watched that one um I watched a few of them you know he’s a big strong old boy isn’t he and if he hits you he’ll hurt you look just like Dillian White just like Derek Chisora, just like everybody that I’ve fought, they’re all big punchers and they’re all coming to win. He’s getting 20 times his highest payday for this, yeah, and if he beats me he secures his grandkids forever. What’s not to do? Do you like that pressure? You seem to like this pressure a lot. I love it, it’s what I do, it’s what I live for. Is this why you take these kind of risks then? I take these risks, one, I’m getting paid a hell of a lot of money, yeah, and two, two worlds are colliding the battle of MMA versus boxing you know the old cliche which is better and the fact that we’re two champions in our prime he ain’t coming off like four losses or me either we’re doing battle and it’s gonna be a good fight. Whoever he chins me or I chin in, someone’s getting chinned. Would you ever ever think about flipping it on its head? I would yeah. And get into the cage? I’d like to fight in Ghanu in the cage. Really? I think I can beat him for sure he’s not a good jiu-jitsu man he’s not a good wrestler he’s known for striking and I’m better striker on him and in little gloves knock him out in seconds I don’t think he’s a good wrestler I don’t think he’s a good Jiu-Jitsu man he’s more of a stand-up striker so what have you got to watch what have you got to watch with a bit of kicking and blocking and elbowing in the teeth you know and do all that did any of you guys see me training with Darren Till bang elbows you know I was training over at Holland with a current glory world heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven and before that the K1 world champion Daniel Gita all over these guys as part of them all so yeah so oh it’s all got a little bit chaotic on the red carpet. Not too sure what’s going on there. Things always get a little bit heated but we’re gonna keep it rolling here. I think we’ve lost Tyson he’s just gone to have a look. He’s wearing the most fabulous suit he’s always wears the best suits to these things. The suits are always good aren’t they? Yeah the Gypsy King Look, he’s looking excited. He’s looking like he’s primed and he’s ready. It’s all kicking off on the red carpet. Hence Why I’m just stood here tried to talk to you for a little bit. I’ve lost Carl I’ve lost Dan come back in it was Tyson still got the mic. Yeah, there we go Look, I guess these type of things are always expected at a press conference. It’s heated This is what these guys want. They were looking forward to my god. I’m not even sure So it wasn’t me rice fine, oh no, you say you say but look they said I want to ask one question we’ve seen I mean, Fury pre-Sugarhill Stewart was more of a mover. Now you’re more aggressive, looking to seek and destroy. Are we gonna see that on Fight Night here? Yeah, yeah, I’m gonna beat the pussy up. Call me Larry Holmes. Gonna use the jab on him. Jab his nut off and then sink the right hands and sicken him. I tell you what, I’m made for this shit, and I’m made for talking shit on camera. You actually are. I gotta be the smack talking champion of the world. I know, you’re dressed impeccably as well. I admire the suit today as well. How is this night in Saudi? Yeah, I know, with Crocs. Oh, the Crocs, I’m just… I did notice that. Tyson, how is this night in Saudi going to compare to the big nights you’ve had in London? I think it’s going to be an unbelievable night of action, you know. Like I said, you’ve got two guys on top of the game. It’s everywhere boxing. And all jokes aside, I take it in Ghana very seriously. By the time the fight comes around, I’ve been in camp for 12 weeks, I’ve got some big, big guys coming in, big sparring guys and that, so I’ve even got Tom Aspinall coming in as well, you know Tom. I’ve got some really good fighters coming in to help me in the gym, boxing guys. So I never underestimate any opponent, whether he’s a local pub brawler or he’s a UFC champion or whatever he is, I always give him all the respect I deserve because they’re all threats and they’re all dangerous. And like I said, they’re all looking for that one punch that’s going to change the stars, so yeah. What do you think Inganu can do between now and the fight to have better chances against you? I don’t think they can do anything to have a better chance, but what he just needs to work on is landing that one punch just like they all do, like while they tried to and everybody else tried to. And that’s it, they’ve always got a punch chance. Big men, aren’t they? I just said to someone upstairs, Rio Ferdinand actually, that if I went outside into a boozer and got in a ball with somebody, he’s gonna hit me, ain’t he? Are you gonna go and have a fight with somebody and not get hit? Of course you are, it’s like going to have a shower and not getting wet I’m not fast, but you know, you can’t go in a fight and not get hit. That is very true Let’s talk about your undercard. I think Fabio Wardley was involved in whatever just went on back there. Yeah, I think so I think it’s already started. What do you make of that British matchup? I think it’s a good fight, you know. I think Fabio and David, for the British title, it’s a very, very good fight. They’re both undefeated, both young, both top 15 ranked in the world, and young, hungry lions, like as we just saw, kicking off Royal. Aside from the money, why are you doing this? Why are you taking this chance to open the door for Inuganu, you could say? Obviously, I’m getting paid a hell of a lot of money. That’s one fact. to is the fact that I get millions and millions of people from MMA and boxing gonna watch it whether they like the fact that I’m doing it or not guess what they’re gonna do still watch it because they’re gonna be curious like what if he lands it’s just a massive global event the Riyadh season me and Nganu is gonna open the Riyadh season like this global phenomenon what Saudi Arabia we get a headline there and open it all up so it’s fantastic I’m overwhelmed of it’s fantastic you know. Tyson you’ve took the best punches of some would say that the biggest punching fader that’s ever lived in Deontay Wilder and you’ve got off up off the deck, got up and won the fight. Francis Ngannou supposedly punches harder than Deontay Wilder. Is that a concern at all? Not really, they all punch hard. Carl, you know, you’ve been a boxer yourself, you know even any, if you fight Journeyman or you fight a world champion, all men it hard don’t they, when you get it in the face off them. I’m not really concerned about anybody’s power, it’s just it’s a boxing power, it’s punching, whatever. If he gets it on me You only need six or eight pounds of pressure to knock a man out anyway So if she hit me in the face when I wasn’t looking she’s got a good chance in knocking me out That’s a fact. That’s factual So at the end of the day anyone can knock anybody out and it’s a boxing fight And you know what we’ve got to go in there and enjoy it because I’m in the twilight zone in my career right now 35 last week and I want to enjoy it. Thank you. Thank you I want to enjoy the last bit of career I’ve got left because you never know when the fight when it’s all over God forbid I go in there and get in the tussle with Ingana and ACL or shoulder or cut high or whatever You never know what’s around the corner So you got to take advantage of it, enjoy every minute and that’s what I’m doing I’m a born natural born entertainer These guys ain’t got shit on me, these boxers They’re like men in suits, like office workers and stuff Never mind the suits but they’re just stiff and boring and everyone’s sick of it When I come it’s an event, it’s a show I’m the only show in town, and that’s what it is. Tyson, I feel like we all thought this maybe was a one-off. Would you do this again? I told you I’d go in the cage with Vingani, for sure. And I would fight John Jones also in a cage, if the money was right. Would it change your style with the four-ounce gloves? Would it change the way you feel you could be? It would make me a lot more devastating. And it’s something that I’m quite accustomed to. Like I said, me and my brother, these big old boys over there somewhere, we’re always wrestling up and down. Loads of us, we’re all punching lumpers off each other. It’s something that we’ve been brought up doing. Do you know what I mean? None of us have got any skill, like trained for MMA or anything. We’ve all been boxers. But it’s something that we’ve always been involved in, like, always. Even in the gym today, we’re always bringing big lads for wrestling. No heavyweights do that, bringing other big lads for wrestling. But guess what? They’re going to do these heavyweights. When they come in, they’re going to grab me like this, yeah? They’re going to lean on me. And when I do it to them, they seem to be all fucked up. But when they do it to me, I’m like, haha, I’ve been here before. Come on. Get the hips down and get under him. What happens if in this fight, I imagine that you’re going to hit Francis quite a lot. He’s got a big head, so he’s going to be hard to miss. But he has a good chin, but he may get frustrated with not being able to hit you back. What if he, you know, fires in and throws you to the ground or something like that? How does that affect things? I don’t think he can. I don’t think he can take me to the floor. I just don’t. I seriously don’t think he could beat me in an MMA fight. Honestly, I don’t I think I catch him on the way in one uppercut I just use me takedown defense push him down bang bang bang grab him knee bang elbow bang game over smash to pieces Go for my legs. Yeah, I’m just gonna throw me legs back sprawl and I’m gonna chain him bang bang bang All right, well, it’s something gonna be severely damaged. I’m a little gloves on I don’t even have to catch him properly I just have to tap him with a little knuckle shot. It’s game over. Legs will do a break dance like Michael Flatley all over the ring. So Tyson, one more question before we let you go. You’re about to face off for the first time. Press conference going on. Can we expect the Tyson Fury show? I’m here to entertain. It’s what I do best. Raise a pot on the show. Look at this great venue. Look at this. Unbelievable. That is incredible. Incredible. The gypsy king versus the African king. This is, by the way, yeah, The people who did this, the photographers, it’s an Oscar-winning photographer for the movies, and the costume designers won three Oscars. These people have pulled zero punches, they spent millions and millions of dollars advertising and doing this fight, and I get to be there. Look at that, unbelievable. Unbelievable. Big shout out to Saudis and the Riyadh season and his excellency, Turkey El-Sheikh, and the big boss, MBS, you know, for making this all happen and putting us on the biggest stage in the world ever. Fabulous, Tyson, we are so excited to come and watch this fight. Best of luck. Enjoy the press conference. We’re going to come down. We’re going to follow this. I think that fight stole my thunder, to be honest. Yeah, no. Absolutely did not. I’m going to have to take him down now and go around the middle of red carpet. I have to go afterwards. But, Tyson, we’ll let you go. Thank you very much. Cheers. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Carl. Becky. Thank you. There you go. I’m sorry. Thank you, Mike. Have a nice day. Nice to see you again. Thank you, mate. Thank you. Thank you so much. He is always such a brilliant character. He’s just the Tyson Furi show, isn’t he? When he’s on that sort of form, he’s a joy to be around, isn’t he? He cheers you up and he’s… Have you seen the other side of him, Carl? I’ve seen him. Tyson’s a complex character, as we can see from the Netflix documentary, and I’ve seen him in times where I’ve walked past him in hotel corridors and he would just say hello and he’s not as lively as he is, but I mean, when you put a camera on him, he’s a proper showman, isn’t he? Yeah, he really is. I mean, you hear this about quite a few people that are such huge characters they step into the public that when they when the withdrawal they’ve got to reserve that energy and you can tell that he kind of peaks and troughs when he needs to right this is his show right now i mean he’s just he’s on top form even the uh even the fight didn’t throw him off he just he could have commentated on it yeah i feel like i feel like he even enjoyed that today he’s gonna have to uh get those boys in line though on the undercard but a really great question you asked him about what can francis and garner do between now and then to beat him and his answer is nothing you know I just I just kind of I feel like like what do you do like there’s no boxing research that he can do right he said he’s watched a bunch of his MMA fights Derrick Lewis and Stipe and there are certain things you can take from them absolutely but you’ve got to prepare for the unknown in some way there’s got to be an element of prediction in his training camp because he’s got to be prepared for what he’s potentially going to come up against smart rotation to be bringing guys like Tom Aspinall rather than boxers in preparation for this fight I think so I mean I mean, you mentioned a couple of Glory and K-1 kickboxing champions who, again, they’re stand-up fighters. They’re not going to move like an MMA fighter, but they’re also not going to move like a boxer. Their range understanding will be different. Any different looks that he can get, and Tom Aspinall as well, top flight UFC heavyweight, moves very well, very, very quick. It sounds to me like he’s doing all the right things, absolutely, and I would expect him to as well, but it’s the preparing for the unknown. the question like what what do you think Inganu could do to beat you in a few weeks like I know I know what can he do it’s gonna be so difficult for him but I think you’re talking about preparing for the unknown and kind of relating it relaying it back to as a boxer sometimes when you when you fight good boxers on your level you kind of know what they’re doing you know how to block shots and you train to fight against certain shot a certain shot selection but when someone has thrown shots that you’ve never been trained to defend and it makes it a little bit more difficult. Can we just talk about the fact that you said he would go in the octagon, because fighting fans are kind of want to see, they’re desperate to see Tyson Fury and Alexander Usyk. So if he’s now throwing around saying, I’m going to go in the octagon, is that going to… It was very believable too, wasn’t it? Right. Yeah, I feel like that means it. I mean, you know, he’s trained with Tom Aspinall, he’s been training with Darren Till, and I’ve said this before, like of all the boxers in boxing, he’s the one that would cross over, because he’s a natural born fighter. It’s his family line, John Fury’s the same, he’s got teeth marks up his forearms, he’s a fighting man that learns how to box and I think that’s why his crossover to mixed martial arts would be a lot easier. I like your reaction from when he was asked a question about that and he says what he would do if he fought him in the octagon and he would take a step back and your reaction was like he knows what he’s talking about here. He’s creating space, he’s sprawling, he’s got takedown defense, even the fact that he’s thinking about these things. I’ve spoken to boxers that are already signed their MMA contracts and they don’t know that terminology. You know what I mean? He’s already doing the work. Yeah, he’s an intelligent guy. But what does that mean for the heavyweight boxing scene? If Tyson Fury starts, well not start, he has started, if he continues down this path of crossovers? I suppose it has an effect in the boxing world. If we lose, you know, the heavyweight champion of the world to another sport, of course it’s detrimental to boxing. But for me personally, I would actually really be interested and enjoy a fight of Tyson Fury against Inganu in an octagon or John Jones in an octagon I mean I think that although this is going to be a massive massive event if he does that there’s more eyes watch that then watch this. Well from the MMA perspective what does it say what does it mean for the MMA world to have someone like Tyson Fury wanting to enter it? Well I mean I think first of all it puts MMA on a playing field with boxing which I’m grateful for because for a long time we weren’t you know and and second of all I think there are a lot of boxing fans that as you said that would tune in to watch that if boxing has a boxer that can hold their own in mixed martial arts both of those boxers seems supremely confident we spoke to both guys and and you can make an argument for both guys winning the fight I think it’s a really good fight that’s been talked about for a number of months now and they’ve kind of just kicked off things here I don’t know exactly what happened I don’t like to see all these sort of stuff and I would hate to think that they’re doing this to try and build a fight because they don’t need to because they’re on such a massive platform but I think there is genuine needle between the two guys I was always I was always the cheeky one that had a smile on my face and yeah exactly I’m not getting paid until the first bell rings so don’t don’t start trying to fight but but I that’s why I feel this is this was genuine I mean we spoke to both guys and they both talked about how invested they are in their own power like they’re confident they’re to come in and starts the other opponent and the tension in this room as well I think that’s going to spark some of these kind of circumstances. It’s genuinely a hard fight to call it’s a good competitive fight and that’s what we want for it’s not Fabio kind of indicated that the British title may be on the line but at this point it isn’t if we can get that on the line then it makes the fight even slightly more better than it already is. Elsewhere in the heavyweight division Joe Joyce joined us I think he’s really feeling about Jilai Zhang the second because we were talking earlier wins back in world title contention loses you said it was a long way back. It is a long way back Joe’s no spring chicken anymore, neither is Zhang, who I think is 40 years of age, but a very good fighter at 40. Joe has to win this fight, I think. You look at Daniel DuBois, who Joe’s already beaten, Fadou Sieg, for three of the four meaningful titles in boxing only a few weeks ago. Joe’s probably looking at that thinking, why is that not me? A win against Zhang puts him back in the mix to fight the big boys. Yeah, so it does. There’s some really exciting fights cards all sorts going on But this one today, it’s just felt like on a different scale. You have to admit don’t you? Yeah, it really has I mean, I’ve been to some some spectacle events, you know The Maymack week was crazy Jake Paul Nate Diaz was crazy as well, but this is just different It’s heavyweights. It just feels different. Both these guys can knock each other out cold We’ve got one of the best MMA fighters that’s ever lived, especially in the heavyweight division, against one of the best heavyweights that’s ever walked the face of the planet, maybe the best, you know? Like, what an event it’s gonna be. You can’t not watch it. That’s the kind of feeling I’m getting. That’s the thing. I think that people will object to the fight because it’s a boxer against an MMA guy, but they’re gonna watch it. I won’t listen to these people that are saying, no, I’m not paying for that, I’m not gonna watch it. They will all be watching it. Yeah, it is fully available where you normally get your pay-per-view channels So do make sure you watch it because I think it’s just gonna be unpredictable It’s gonna be a brilliant spectacle out in Saudi Carl You said that there’s not a chance that you would come out of retirement to do this As the option of a crossover fight been all the cards for you before dad I had a couple that was actually matched up on the Ricky Hatton undercard in Manchester a little while ago but yeah, but it was taken off because we The show went through a bunch of changes and and they removed the fight But we never know when we might get back in there. I’m talking MMA again now So that might be an option as well, but maybe I’m just too old call Maybe you just need to tell me you’ve done you just too old Your wife’s down the nerve Yeah for sure. No, it’s just like the the the the industry’s changed, you know And it feels very much different to how it was when I was competing I just love to be in amongst it now now the volumes really turned up on it We’ve seen what the boxing sort of heavyweight fighters fans perspective is in this fight What is the UFC’s perspective on this fight? I think people are interested I think a lot of people in mixed martial arts will be counting out in Ghana There’s no doubt about it because we know what he’s up against in in Tyson Fury But people are excited that it’s happening, right? They’re excited first of all that Francis’s, you know He took the leap to fight out of his UFC contract and go into free agency. That was a huge risk He signed with the PFL. He signed to fight a boxing match against fury like all the things that he demanded of his free agency He’s getting which is interest in the mixed martial arts world because the last person that did this was McGregor and even McGregor has Not done it to the level that Francis is Interesting we have seen kind of McGregor and Floyd Mayweather do this before but not I think Tyson mentioned it It’s two people in their prime. That’s what makes this slightly unique. Yeah, I think so I genuinely think it’s it is two people in their prime Mayweather was kind of passed it a little bit when he fought McGregor and no one really Give I suppose there was an argument made that McGregor could win the fight But it was always going to be a hard one for him. I think that Francis Although I’m strongly favoring Tyson in this fight. I think he has a better chance of beating fury than McGregor had a beating a beating Mayweather just because of the power. Yeah Absolutely, yeah. I mean, you know, Mayweather is incredibly difficult to hit. His defense is almost impenetrable. And although McGregor, yes, he’s got very heavy hands, it doesn’t compare to Francis Ngarnu. He’s not going to make the most of those milliseconds, those moments where Tyson drops his hands for a second. Tyson’s going to get hit. It’s not like Ngarnu’s going to punch it all night. Something’s going to land. The question is how well can he take it? If Francis, he not necessarily wins the fight, but if he’s competitive and does quite well and because we know that these crossover fights can generate so much money, do you start to see more guys from the UFC wanting to be involved in these sort of nights? I think so, absolutely. I mean, Francis just leaving the UFC and going into free agency. He signed with the PFL, he’s opened up the opportunity for heavyweights to make $2 million fighting him in mixed martial arts, which is a massive amount of money for an MMA fighter. he’s changing the industry kind of quietly behind the scenes. He’s the head of PFL Africa, which is going to be incredible. You know, there’s lots of things that Francis is doing to help promote and grow the sport and mix martial arts. But the success will be the key. If he’s successful, even if it’s a couple of rounds and he looks all right, all the fighters will start thinking to themselves. I might go and try and grab some of that money. Yeah, if you are staring at your screens right now, saying, where is everyone? Where’s Francis and got it? Where’s Tyson Fuhrer? Why am I watching these three talking? It is on the way for you. you the press conference we have got the undercard for you and we have got the main event where the very first time tonight here in London Tyson Fury and Francis Nganu will face off against each other do we expect fireworks? I think it’s gonna be quite a calm quite a quite an intimate face-off because of course you know Nganu’s not fought anybody of the size of Fury before height wise weight wise I mean the limit. It was interesting when he was stood there actually he is smaller than Tyson Fury. Tyson Fury is just so tall with such a long range. Yeah tall and rangy and very very good at fighting like a tall man as well which not everybody is but in Ghaniw he just covers distance so quickly so solidly heavily muscled. He’s a very dangerous individual no matter what range. Come on in. How are you? Good to see you. Step on in. Hi, how you doing? I’m Becky. Great to see you. Oh lovely, thank you. Cheers buddy. Welcome. Hello. How much are you looking forward to this fight? Honestly, I think this is an amazing matchup like I’ve said it from the beginning like obviously the you sick thing and Tyson I look in his comments and I see the stick that he’s getting for the you see finger. I just Is the king for the last ten years in my opinion? He’s carried the games I mean like he’s defended his titles. He’s done this he’s done everything and he were gonna retire So now if you want to have a bit of fun in my opinion, let him do it You can do it once you don’t have to do you know, I mean he’s he’s early before fighting you sick So I said can he do it in your opinion as a fan before fighting Usyk? Can he beat Nagano? No No, I’m saying to you you’re saying like Dyson Fury’s sort of the right to do this because he’s done that and I’m saying the Boxing fans generally want to see him fight Usyk. Don’t get me wrong I’d love to see Usyk and Fury like it’d be the biggest fight ever and like I were really excited for it But when I seen it all kicking off and back and forth and stuff and then it were like he’s not gonna do it And it’s like all right fine. It’s not gonna do it and I will frustrate myself Especially for you sick of his team and for everyone else and for everyone wanted to see it They’ll get me wrong, but at the same time the amount of stick two years ago Everyone woke up his ass everyone said Tyson’s this is the best thing since this and and I still believe that and then you get All these people who are avid fury fans who are now saying in his comments I’m looking at this cause I think how can you switch on him that bad I get I want the fight to happen I really do it be the best fight like this for me. I think this is a great matchup I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s, obviously it’s gonna, it could get knocked out, he’s got an hard punch, he’s the hardest puncher. But I just think Tyson’s too quick, too slick, he’s a proper boxer, so I think it’s more fun. It’s an exhibition. It’s like Rocky and Funderlips, you know what I mean? So I like, I like the old aspects. Are you a boxing fan, Tom? Are you a boxing fan? Yeah, yeah, lovely, yeah. Boxing fans are very fickle. And I think if you do something wrong, they’ll be on your back. It might be the same in the MMA world as well. But I think, obviously, when you get offered this sort of money to be involved in the fight it’s it would be silly to turn it down so if Tyson has this fight and makes a bag full of money that’s fine but I think his run of fights after Wilder, Chisora and White and then in Ghana it has to be a big one after this in the boxing world and like with the Chisora thing like it were obvious what was gonna happen and they put on such a display like he did in the last one and don’t get me wrong people want to see the USIC fight, USIC deserves the fight because of the how we dealt with AJ and I get that but at the same time I just didn’t agree because I love Fury, I’m a big fan like from everything outside the ring to what he’s accomplished to what he does outside to what he’s done in the ring coming back to life when he got knocked out and rest of it it really gasses him up so when I see people like you say being so fickle like giving him so much stick person and saying you’re a mother you know I can’t even swear you’re this you’re this and you’re that and I think two minutes ago you you were up his arse, do you know what I mean? I think it will happen, hopefully it will. This is a bit of fun and this could all be like a strategy, you know, getting people prepared for maybe a little switch and then we’re gonna go and have you sick, who knows? All right, well, you heard it here first, Tom Zanetti. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much, really pleasure to meet you as well. Thank you. It’s been really great to have you join us. Top man, thank you. I’ll take that from him, thanks Tom. Right, it is time, I know it was perfect, it was perfect, but it is time for the main event we are gonna throw to you after the break, The press conference between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou is on the way. Do not miss it. Francis Ngannou versus the gypsy king for the undisputed baddest man on the planet. Full blown destruction is what happens when the heavyweight champs, you won’t find a place Let’s have it! Francis Ngannou, I’m the ballast man on the planet. The Gypsy King, that’s it, it’s over! And I’ll give you the best item you’ve ever had. The Gypsy King! I want to bring in Francis Ngannou. I’m going to find out who is the best on the planet. I think I can kick everybody. He does have nuclear one punch knockout power. you you you you you you you You . . you . . . . . . . . you Thank you for joining us. This is an amazing, iconic fight. October 28th, we ask a question. We want to know who the baddest man on the planet is and to begin Riyadh season in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, two kings collide and we are looking to answer that question. On behalf of Queensbury and Top Rank, we want to say what an honor and privilege it is to be working on such an incredible fight as part of the opening of the Riyadh season and we want to express our thanks to His Excellency, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turkey Alal Shah, and to all of the teams at the GEA Riyadh season and CELA for this magnificent opportunity. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to welcome to the stage those who have come together to make this incredible event happen. Let’s first welcome to the stage the long-time advisor of Francis Ngarnu, Markelle Martin. And now let’s welcome to the stage the Hall of Fame boxing promoter. He has promoted some of the very biggest names and fights in the sport, representing top-ranked, the co-presenter of Tyson Fury, Bob Arum. Alright, let’s now welcome to the stage another Hall of Fame boxing promoter over 40 years in the game, promoted some of the biggest fighters in history representing Queensbury, the co-promoter of Tyson Fury, Mr. Frank Warren. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to welcome to the stage the two men who will battle it out on October 28th to decide who the baddest man on the planet is. First, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Batty Cameroon, ladies and gentlemen introducing arguably the most powerful athlete in the history of combat sports, presenting the former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion of the world and the reigning lineal heavyweight champion of the world, Francis the Predator N’Ganu and now let’s welcome to the stage his opponent on October the 28th. Hailing from Morecambe, England, he is unbeaten with a record of 33 wins and no defeats. One draw with 24 wins coming by way of knockout. Presenting one of the greatest stars in the history of boxing, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the two-time world champion and the reigning WBC and lineal heavyweight champion of the the world, the gypsy king, Tyson Fury! It’s nice to see so many people have turned out to see me. Thank you very much. If you haven’t heard, I’ve got an energy drink out called Tyson Fury. Try it if you want some bars. Thank you Tyson. Great entrance as ever. Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, good afternoon, good morning wherever you are joining us in the world. Today we formally announce a huge, huge iconic event October the 28th to kick off Riyadh season. A colossal event on October the 28th the battle of the baddest two kings collide in the kingdom in what is quite simply the most anticipated combat sports event of the year. The king of heavyweight boxing Tyson Fury the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion will take on the king of heavyweight MMA the lineal heavyweight champion and the man who never lost his world title in the cage, Francis Ngarnu. This epic showdown between two giants in their field will mark the commencement of this year’s iconic Riyadh season. The fight is brought to you by Queensbury Promotions top rank and Francis Ngarnu’s promotional banner Gimmick Fight Promotions and of course we extend our heartfelt gratitude to his excellency, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey al-Ashaq. Let’s begin by discussing our wonderful hosts for this once in a lifetime event on October 28th. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become the go-to destination for some of the very best concerts, events, attractions, and more recently some of the most finest boxing in the world. The iconic Riyadh season has taken place every winter since 2019, welcoming more than 37 million visitors from all across the globe. They’ve come to experience concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and much more. Riyadh season is back for its fourth edition and this year it will make history with two heavyweight champions at the pinnacle of their sport facing off. It will be boxing that has the privilege of kicking off this year’s Riyadh season. The special WBC event will determine who the baddest man on the planet is and is of course called Battle of the Baddest as Tyson says, come on next to me. And of course you can’t determine who the baddest man on the planet is without a man who also once walked the earth as the baddest man on the planet, former World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson has been training Francis Ngarnu for this fight. just adding another layer of intrigue and anticipation for this great event. So, we’ve got Francis and Ghanu, we’ve got Tyson Fury, we’ve got Riyadh Season. They all know how to draw a crowd and put on a show. And October the 28th, there will be a spectacle like you have never seen before. All right. Well, look, as you can see, we’ve got a very packed top table here. Everyone’s been introduced. And I want to start with Hall of Fame boxing promoter, Frank Warren. Let’s get some words from you, Frank, on this. You’ve been involved in so many special events over the years. And I’ve heard you say, in the build-up to this one, it’s the biggest one you’ve been involved in. Tell me more. Well, first of all, I want to wish everybody a very warm welcome here. And I want to thank, in particular, his excellency, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, and all the staff and management team of the Riad Season, the GEA and CELA. This is a massive event. This is the biggest event I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a crossover event of a sport. You’ve got a guy who’s the best in his discipline, UFC, the heavyweight champion, a powerhouse. He’s in the Guinness Book of Records, the hardest punching heavyweight out there. And you’ve got the man, the lineal champion, Tyson Fury’s done everything you can ask for in a fighter. Undefeated champion, brilliant boxer, brilliant fighter. He can box, he can stand and trade with you. This is going to be something special. A very, very special event. And this is opening the season. What an opening this is going to be for the season. After this, you get all these other fantastic events but this is the event that’s opening it. It’s a blockbuster event. And it’s very special for boxing to have that place kicking off Riyadh season this year, Frank. Well, look, as I just said, you know, the two participants, they’re the biggest names in their respective sports. And Tyson’s an absolute, he’s not just a boxer or sportsman, this guy just in Netflix series is the highest watched program ever on Netflix in this country. It’s amazing. That’s what he is. is a massive, massive star. It’s not just about boxing, it’s about personality. And for me, Tyson Fury is the most entertaining, the most best fun, is a heavyweight since Muhammad Ali. Unbelievable. Wherever he goes, he brings excitement. He brings people. Last year, we did two shows in the UK jointly with Bob. And both those shows sold out. Broke the box office records at Wembley. We sold out spurs on December the 8th, freezing cold. Not like the weather today. Freezing cold. Sold out. Why? Because of Tyson Fury. Why is he in Riyadh? Why is he opening this Riyadh Festival? Because it is him. He is Tyson Fury. He is the best in the world, the most well-known boxer in the world at the moment. There’s no doubt about that. And this man here is going to come and try and take his head off, aren’t you? Well, I don’t know if you will, but you’re going to come and try and take his head off. And so this is going to be, I see this fight really simple. Everyone thinks Tyson’s just a boxer and Francis is a big puncher. But Tyson, you’ve seen his last few fights, he goes in the trenches. And if he goes down, he gets up. No one’s like him. No one I’ve been involved in boxing is like him. Magnificent chin, and more importantly, a big heart. So don’t think that somebody’s going to be piddling around pitter-patter with you. You’re going to be in a big fight, a big, big fight. Fire’s going to meet fire. That’s what it’s going to be. It’s not the first time, sir. I know it’s not, and we believe in your achievements. And listen, for what you’re doing is brilliant. to step up and step into a boxing ring, take my hat off to you, everybody takes their hat off to you. You’re a big man, we know what you’re capable of, but we know what he’s capable of. I’m biased, but it’s gonna be, one thing’s for sure, while it lasts, it’s gonna be exciting. This is gonna be exciting. It’s gonna be one of the most exciting events you’ve ever seen, I promise you. Well, Frank, before I move on, we’ve partnered with the WBC as well, who have a special commemoratory belt for this event? They have. I thought there was a picture of it. Which should be coming up on the screen. There should be a picture. There you go, look at that. The WBC, this isn’t for the WBC title, but as you can look up here, they’ve commissioned a belt, which is the Riyadh Championship belt, and hopefully this will be something that will be fought for every year. But this is a special event, and as I say, it’s two guys, the best of their disciplines, the best fights in the best. That’s what this is. And that, the winner will walk away with that belt and it’d do well financially, no doubt about that. Thank you very much, Frank. Lovely belt up there. Big thank you to the WBC. Let’s hear from Team Unganu. Let’s bring in Markel Martin. Markel, this is a fight that has actually been talked about for a little while. How special a moment is it for you and Team Unganu to land this fight with Tyson Fury? To be honest, it’s a dream come true. This is something that Francis and I have been speaking about for years. I think it was 2018, 2019. You guys can go back and look at the Tyson podcast. And we spoke this into existence, obviously wouldn’t have been here without the work of this man right here throughout his entire life and journey wouldn’t be here without his excellency and wouldn’t be here without you gentlemen. So we’re honored, we’re thankful we’re here to shake up and shock the world. Go back and watch this man’s story. If you doubt him now, you will be sorry. Come October 28th, this man will shock the world. He’s done it time and time again and it’s destined to be Mock Tube. Well, Markel, I’ve heard you say that if he touches Tyson Fury’s chin, he’s going to sleep. You really believe in your man, don’t you? Everyone who knows me, not many of you do. I will walk into the fire with this man, for this man, because I believe in this man. If I have all the respect in the world for Tyson and his abilities, but I know what this man can do, and there’s not a puncher on the planet that can take his punch straight to the chin. That’s just that. All right. Well, thank you, Markel. Your mic will be live. I feel like you’re going to have a few more things to say in this press conference. Let’s bring in Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum. look you know it’s a big big fight when you need two Hall of Fame boxing promoters here promoting it Bob welcome great to have you as always tell us from your side how it feels to be involved in yet another huge event but particularly you are starting Riyadh season this year with Fury against Nganu tell us how tell us your thoughts well this is a massive event around the world but it’s particularly massive in the United States because UFC has become one of the most popular sports in the United States and Francis is a legend in that sport and Tyson has performed so admirably in the United States over the past few years that he is a massive figure in sports, and now the fact that they’re both coming together is something that is creating tremendous interest in the United States. But more important, I think, is the fact that we are seeing history made. Baghdad is about to become the entertainment capital in the area and maybe one of the greatest entertainment capitals in the world. The plans for that city, for that area are enormous and it is really appropriate and And I want to thank the authorities in Saudi Arabia for making it happen that this event is the kickoff event for the Riyadh emergence into the world of sports and entertainment. It will be a momentous fight, but more important, it will be, long after myself and all of you out there are gone, a historic event for Riyadh, for combat sports, and it’s an honor for top rank to be part of it. And finally, Bob, just on the fight itself, you’ve got a very dangerous man over there sat right next to you and you’ve got the world heavyweight champion right here. What sort of fight are you expecting on October 28th? A hell of a lot better than some of the writers have been predicting because it’s clear that Francis has not had boxing experience although he’s training diligently but the son of a a gun, I’ve watched these UFC tapes, I mean, I have never seen anybody hit with the power that Francis has. Tyson Fury, we know he’s been in with strong punches before, like Wilder, and he’s got knocked down, he’s picked himself up, and managed to come out ahead. I think This is going to be one of the most exciting events that any of us will have the opportunity to watch, and it will be shown here on TNT pay-per-view in the UK, and in the United States on ESPN Plus on pay-per-view, plus all the cable systems and the satellite providers. It’s truly a massive event and as I told Frank before, it’s a privilege for both of us to be associated with the event. Thank you, Bob, brilliant. Well, let’s hear from the gladiators, the men involved October 28th to kick off Riyadh season, who will decide who the baddest man on the planet is? Let’s start with Francis Nganu. Francis, tell us a little bit about how special it is to be involved in this event. And I also understand that boxing was always your dream. Tell us how you’re feeling now, sat at this table about to fight Tyson Fury. I mean, I have a fight coming up, but first of all, I’m very excited and I’m very happy. You know, from being having this dream since I was kid to become a boxer and today, it’s not just I’m going to box, but I’m going to box the guy in the peak on the mountain, you know. So for me, I mean usually I will not pay attention of what’s going around, but this thing is so big that I can stop thinking about it. It’s more so like a, for me, it’s more so like history about to be made in Riyadh on October 28. You know, it’s, I mean, it’s something that I didn’t see coming even though my dream was always there and I hope that is going to happen someday, but I didn’t see it lay out this way to be like one of the biggest event in the world because we are going, it’s not just a fight. We are going to be open up Riyadh season. So it’s a cultural event that we are fighting on and we’ll just make this fight bigger and bigger. And nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen, but what I do know for sure is that I’m going to be out there hunting for that guy head to take it off so I can guarantee you that all right thank you Francis let’s bring a let’s bring in Tyson Fury at this point for for your opening thoughts Tyson fight number 35 for you an iconic fight an iconic night tell us your thoughts tell us my thoughts come on now why should we start here it’s been a long road in the old professional boxing game a lot of ups and downs a lot of back and front a lot of other shit as well to get to this point is so we say astonishing I don’t even know where to start with his speech do you know I mean I feel like I’m a best man or I feel like I’m a wedding speech or something and we start where do we start well first of all we start like this okay first of all I want to say you’re one good-looking son of a bitch don’t you ever die and then I want to say massive massive thank you to his excellency Turkey L shake for putting this fight on an event I want to say massive shout out to dr. Rakan massive shout out to Spencer Brown and I want to say a massive shout out to his Royal Highness MBS as well for making this possible colossal colossal event you got me and Francis in Ghana here you know the UFC, former UFC, everyone said he was an idiot for walking away from the UFC and now all of a sudden he’s a genius, isn’t he? Guy’s about to make ten million dollars. Come on! Egg in their face! Francis is gonna make that bag rich, okay? Riyadh season. Here’s a little fun fact none of yous know. I’ve actually fought at the Riyadh season before back in 2019. a WWE crown jewel, I actually knocked out the monster among men, Braun Strowman. And I knock out another big dossier here with him, and another one three or four years later. So it’s a very special event for me, and it’s a very special time in sports where a powerhouse like Saudi Arabia are coming in, they’re taking over the game, they’re taking over football, boxing, whatever you want. I think within five years, ten years, they’re gonna be the powerhouse of all sports. all the big sporting events will be in Saudi Arabia or somewhere and for me obviously I’ve topped the bills in Vegas London all over the place you name it I’ve done it there ain’t shit that is out there that I haven’t done already apart and now I get to do the world’s biggest stage all eyes on me and I get to knock out him he’s good-looking lad I do like him probably got a big car as well remember that Francis however it’s unlucky for him that he has to come If you know where I come from, you don’t have to ask that question. Come on, come on. Get it out! Get it out! HE LAUGHS But, yeah, I’m absolutely honoured to be fighting Francis. He’s going to be a very, very good fighting man. You can see he’s massive, he’s in shape. He’s going to be a real challenge, and it’s something different for me. I’m used to boxing boxers and boxing the head off somebody, but to fight, like, an MMA guy who’s coming in a different style, he’s lower, it’s different. It’s a different look. I’m going to be like, you’re going to be saying, I’m going to be saying to him in the fight like, beat the pussy up, call me Larry Holmes. I’ll be eating a jab, bang, bang, bang. And you know, I can’t wait. It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic event. And I’m honored that I’m a part of it. And I’m honored that Francis says, if you look here, like this is the African King, Francis Ngarnu, and the Gypsy King. People just look at these photographs. They don’t realize the amount of work and effort that’s gone into them. Let me just tell you, the lady who designed these costumes, she’s won three Oscars. Three Oscars, the costume designer. The guy who took the photographs won three big awards as well. So this is not small time, this is as big as it gets. So I just wanted to share that little info with you. We can get back to the press conference now, if that’s all right. Thank you, Tarzan. A lot of key points there. Let’s get a round of applause. I don’t even know where to start, to be honest, but we’ll bring in… Give me a minute. Francis and Garnu, let me ask you a question. We know how hard you hit. I’ve heard you talk about the delivery system. It’s all well and good having a big punch, but you need to be able to land it. So is that delivery system ready? We are working on the delivery system. And if you look, if you’ve been watching my training, you will see that we have one of the best guy in the world that ever lived, that ever done this in the camp, in the man of Mike Tyson. I think if you’re talking about delivery system, you can go any bigger than that, you know. So yes, we are working on the delivery system because it’s a very important element for me in this fight. I heard people said, oh, he has the biggest puncher. He has a punch. He punch hard. But if you can punch somebody, your punch is worthless. And I really intend to make my punch useful, you understand? So that’s why I’m working on the delivery system. I mean, don’t be a fool. I know this is a big challenge for me, and I’m working very hard to put myself in the best position because no many fighter, even great as they were, didn’t have this opportunity in their lifetime, in their career, to be sitting in this position, have a fight in this magnitude, you know. And again, that’s why, like, sometime I wake up in the night, I’m like, hey, man, I’m tripping. Like, is it real? Like, then I walk around, I look on staff, I’m like, no, I’m not dreaming, this is real. So, and all that because of your excellency up there, which I want to thank as well for putting this show bigger than a fight, a cultural event that we’re going to be part of and make history out of it. And I’m going to fight the best boxer in the world for my first boxing fight. And I always ask myself, like, what will happen at the moment that that guy hit the floor and doesn’t stand up? Like, are you the best boxer in the world now? Like, what would that be? I mean, if you take out the number one, you’re the number one, right? I think so. But it’s really hard to think about it. I think for right now, I’ll just focus on, like, take him out, then I’ll figure the rest out after. Tyson, before I bring you in, this is really a question for both of you guys. Mike Tyson is involved in this fight. You have had Tyson training you to help you beat Tyson. How is that going and what sort of insight can Mike Tyson give you? Four years ago, exactly four years ago, I met Mike Tyson for the very first time, and for many of you that know me, know that Mike Tyson for me is the best that have ever done this. In our conversation, one thing that I precisely request from Mike Tyson was whenever I fight Tyson Fury would be in my corner. And at that time, everybody was looking at me as a fool to even think of fighting Tyson Fury. And today, it’s happening. So from the moment that he gets announced officially that I’m fighting Tyson Fury in Riyadh on the opening on Riyadh season, I hate Mike Tyson. I’m like, brothers, that thing become true. Like, this is it, and it’s something magical, right? I grew up just knowing Mike Tyson as a face of boxing, and I get to the point that my first boxing match, the guy in my corner, the guy that, I mean, I was in the gym with him training and was having those same sensations. Like, is this real, right? This Mike Tyson, right? And he was talking like, go, go, again, again, again. And I’m like, this is Mike Tyson on my corner for my first boxing match. This is real. And even that, after training, after we done, I get ready to get home, and I’m like, man, one more. This is real. Just live the dream. It was amazing. So the motivation, the wisdom, the knowledge that he brings, for me, is something unique. For me, it’s something that, I mean, He’s been there tens of times, hundreds of times, which I haven’t been there. So he knows a lot about the game. And if there’s one person that I have to trust, that I can trust as far as boxing concerned, is Mike Tyson. All right, well look, Tyson, I wanna get your thoughts on that because you have literally been named after this man and now he’ll be in the opposite corner trying to get this guy to knock you out. What a surreal thing to happen. So, before Tyson say anything, I want to mention like, if it wasn’t me, if it was Tyson fighting against somebody else, I think Mike Tyson would be on the side, but on his corner. But too bad for him, I was, Mike Tyson loved me more than him. Too bad, Tyson. It’s actually hurtful, innit? I’m about to cry my eyes out here. I know that if it was personal and not business then I’d take it seriously but this is strictly business you know Mike Tyson’s doing a job for Francis he’s now a boxing trainer fair play to him it’s surreal for me to be matching a newborn baby being named after a boxing champion and then all of a sudden you named after him you become world heavyweight champion and then the world heavyweight champion now fight somebody else and now the guy you named after is training the guy he thinks he’s in a dream. Fucking hell, I’m definitely in a dream. Do you know what I mean? I’m named after the guy, now I’m in the opposite corner to him. 50 years later. 30 years later. It’s crazy, you know. But one thing I do have to say is I’ve got to take my hat off to Francis for his story and where he’s come from and the fight, the grind, the determination and everything he’s put into it to get to where he is. You know, he was just a young boy in Africa you know with a big dream and everybody at home probably laughed at him that he was going to go to Las Vegas and win the UFC world heavyweight champion and then when they said he’s fighting Tyson Fury they still laughed at him but I never laugh at anybody because I know the man’s struggle I come from a place where anything’s possible and I’ve changed all my odds as well my stars have been changed because I couldn’t I may not have been here today, things would have went a little bit different. So I never underestimate anybody. And people are like, especially the fucking media, they’re like, oh, Frantis doesn’t have a chance. So I say, if I go to the boozer, the old battle cruiser across the road, and I’m getting a brawl with a guy, a drunken guy, he’s going to hit me, and he might have a chance of knocking me out. So how am I not going to prepare 100% for an absolute killing machine over there? He’s trying to take my brains out. I will give Francis the respect that he deserves as one, as a warrior, and two, as a man, and three, as a world champion, what he is. He’s a big man, very strong, very powerful. And it’s in my interest to give it the 100% training in camp. I bring in the best sparring possible for me. I’ve got my nutritionist here, George Lockhart. We’ll do a 12-week camp with George. Been in camp already for, this is my fifth week in camp. Let’s not forget, I only train six weeks for Deontay Wilder. I’m doing 12 weeks for Francis Ngarnu, 12 weeks. So I need to be on my A game because there’s more on the line now than a boxing fight. You know, if I lose to a number one contender, another champion, it’s like, well, he lost to a champion, whatever. But if I lose to an MMA guy, I’m never gonna be able to show my face in public again. It’s gonna be ridiculed. People are gonna chuck it at me forever. So there’s more right and honest than there ever has been before. And whether the media wanna take it as a joke or whatever they wanna take it as, Make no mistake, Tyson Fury will leave zero stones unturned and I will come in at me fittest and strongest and best I’ve ever been to defeat this man. And if I’m not and I get knocked out, I want you all to laugh at me. That’s what I want because I’ll deserve it. Only an idiot wouldn’t train the bollocks off of somebody like Francis. The man’s a machine and I’ll give him 100% respect and I’m in the gym every day training and I can’t do no more. And it’s all God’s will now, all God’s will. This is meant to be. It’s been written in the stars 100 years before we were even born. This is our time, our moment in the sun. This is us. And he thinks it’s in a dream as well. How do you think I feel? I’m in a dream too. I jog down the road sometimes and I think, am I going to wake up any minute? Has this all been a dream? And it’s a reality. So as much as Francis is so excited to be here, so am I. I’m very, very excited, very, very blessed to be in this position. And I’m not in this position because, oh, I’m a good boxer or I work harder than the next man. I’m in this position because God willed it. That’s it. Nothing else. Just on Francis and Ghanu’s power. Now, Tyson, you are no stranger to taking on big, big punches, but they measured his punch and he hits as hard as a small family car. Are you concerned about Francis and Ghanu’s power? I seen the video of him hitting the pub thing. Listen, the guy’s a big puncher. You can see he’s very big and strong and very well-built. But, you know, I fought big punchers before, like Deontay Wilder, and I even fought the old Dr. Steelhammer, Vladimir Klitschko. And the one thing that both of them had in common were they both were massive punchers, but they both couldn’t land it when it counted. And it’s okay being a big, strong puncher in a target that don’t move, but it’s pretty difficult hitting this hand full power when it’s moving like that. you can’t hit what you can’t see and you know I’m not the best at what I do because I’m easy to hit I’m the best at what I do because I’m the most elusive world champion in history and that’s facts ESPN will back that up so yeah if he can land it on me he’s definitely got good aim and he’s been training so you know it’s I don’t think he can I don’t think anyone can land it on me that’s the fact and if they do I’ll just get back up cuz I get knocked down but I get up again you’re never gonna keep me down and that’s what it is so yeah can’t wait all right Francis let me uh gonna find out on October 28th how how good you move you you know how good I move I’m like the matrix in there and you know how gonna find I know you can fight and I know you can punch hard too so I know it I’m not underestimating it I’m expecting a tough fight if it’s anything less than a 12 or 10 round war 12 rounds every round is I’ll be disappointed. I’m expecting a war and if it’s not a war I’m going to be disappointed. You get it. You get your war. We’re both being paid a lot of money. From the moment that you sign for this fight you get your war. So we’re going to entertain. So no doubt about it. I’m coming for for everything. Good and I’m sure you should and if you beat me you become the linear world heavyweight champion it goes back to the days of John L Sullivan the man who beat the man who beat the man who beat the man going back to the the olden days. You will be the UNO, number one in the division. So yeah, fantastic opportunity and fair play to you if you can do it. I’ll walk across the ring, shake your hand, give you a kiss and take you out for a beer. Alcohol free of course. Let’s bring in Bob Aram. It’s sizzling up nicely Bob. A lot of you writers out there say Francis comes from a different discipline and therefore going in with a top, top boxer like Tyson Fury, he has no chance. Now what I suggest is go look at the tapes of Francis’ UFC fights and see if you’re convinced that he has no chance, because I have never seen anybody with the power, whether it’s boxing or MMA, that he has, Francis has. Now, Tyson is quite correct. Boxing is different. And boxing, it’s not necessarily who hits the hardest, but how you can land your punches. So this will be not only a massive event in a great country, in a great place that’s emerging as the entertainment capital, but a significantly interesting fight that people will be talking about for years and decades to come. Thank you, Bob. Francis, I just want to touch on one thing. The weight of this fight, now, when you’re in the MMA world, you have to cut weight to make 265 pounds. You can weigh whatever you want in this fight against Tyson Fury. You’re a big, big guy. How big are you expecting to be in there? And will you actually be bigger than Tyson Fury? What do you think? I want to be in shape. I want to feel good, you know, and that’s why, like, I have a whole team around me to work on that. I have a great strength conditioning coach. I have a nutritionist, a chef that work to make that. So, and I’ve been fighting in the high level for so long now. I know it’s good for me where is the middle ground for me with good weight and most energy, right? so I don’t want to compromise my energy in order to lose weight and I don’t want to compromise my in my weight by getting more energy so it’s gonna be in the middle and that’s I think we have that figured out how do you win this fight Francis Ngani excuse me how do you win this fight how do I win this fight Usually I would say knockout because that’s what comes first but I mean I know the guy in front of me I have watched Tyson fight live personally so many times I have watched a lot of tape about him and it’s very sneaky you know so and that’s why I put a lot of focus on my delivery system that we were talking about earlier because he’s the guy that is very very hard to hit so I’m working about about that and I’m aware that he might not get that punch maybe not in a full power with full power but I’m making sure that however he goes the victory will be mine in Riyadh on October 28 the victory will be mine and whether it’s knockout or decision that doesn’t matter. The V is what matters. Well let me ask you this you mentioned there if it lands as I’ve said you’ve got the hardest punch in the world if it does land completely clean on Tyson Fury what would happen? If it does land, good night. Lies off. I mean what do you think will happen. I’m gonna ask Tyson, I’m not gonna say. I mean not to mention that this is a heavyweight fight and that’s what is very excited about heavyweight. We know that everybody in the heavyweight division can knock everybody out. You don’t need to have a tremendous power. I’m not walking there just like oh Tyson Fury can knock me out. No bro. I’m not going there to put my shin. I’m going there to fight, hit and not get hit. I think that’s the rules of boxing and that’s why I’m very aware of that and that’s why I’m taking this very serious in all the component of the discipline. Well Tyson you’ve just heard it if he lands that punch that punch that’s been recorded that hits like a small family car he says it’s good night thoughts? I can’t have a comment until I felt his power remember when I got the old Alabama slammer up on stage and said hit me in the face go on I wanted to feel his power. I haven’t felt Francis’s power, so I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Is it going to be so much different to any heavyweight I’ve ever fought? Probably not. Will it bounce off me? Probably so, because I’m bulletproof. It’s one of them things. So many people have tried knocking me out before or beating me, and I’ve been successful for 15 years in a row, 34 contests and two-time undefeated champion. I’ve heard it all before, all the bullshit that fighters like to say, I’m going to do this, do that. Listen, good Good luck to him in his training camp, good luck to him and his trainers and Mike Tyson and his other trainer over there, I’ve met him in Vegas a few times, and that’s it, bring your A game, let’s have a fight, let’s have a fucking fight, that’s what we’re being paid to do. All this talking, it is what it is, but at the end of the day we’re going to go in there and we’re going to fight, we’re going to put on a show, he’s a world champion in fighting, okay? Not a world champion in tennis, he’s not a world champion in basketball, he’s a fighting world champion and I’m a fighting world champion so the best man will win. There is no two ways about it. Whoever’s the best on the night will win the fight. That’s it. World champion in boxing, in boxing. Because in fighting I think you are very limited in general. No, not fighting because I think I can beat you in the cage. I would kick your arse in the cage, no problem. No, no, you can’t dare. You can’t even think about that. 100%. But just focus on October 28. Personally, I’ll beat you in the boxing ring Then we will see after 100% I’ll beat you out boxing. I’ll beat you in a cage. No problem. No, bro No problem focus focus focus. No, no problem right now That’s not what you can do and I’ll beat him in a cage fight. No two ways about it Well, there you have it the gauntlet has been laid down here. I’m being told to wrap up What a brilliant press conference we’ve had we’re just about to have the face off the thing to remember This is October 28th. We kick off Riyadh season two kings collide in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia And we’re asking the world a question Who is the baddest man on the planet? Tyson thinks it’s him. I’d imagine Francis and Garneau think I don’t think it’s me. I know it’s fucking me Find that find out officially on October 28th, if you can’t be there make sure you’re tuning in Thank you. I also just want to say if anybody was offended by my swearing get the fuck out that door All right, let’s get a face-off down the front here, please we’re We’ll get off the stage first and then we’ll come back on for a face-off They ain’t never had a delicacy People hate the same, same till we made it Yeah, we made it Francis was smiling. It surprised me. He seemed like he was enjoying himself a little bit. But then, of course, as soon as he said, I’m a champion in fighting, you’ve got Ingarnou straight away correcting him. No, you’re a champion in boxing. It’s different. You know what I mean? I like that back and forth. I was quite entertained by the whole thing. We are waiting the face-off that is about to happen here. The atmosphere in the room. There’s some big names in this room. Yeah, I just had a look upstairs, and Lanx Lewis is here. You’ve got a lot of the Saudi dignitaries as well. A lot of influencer type people that I don’t really know who they are, but they’re here. There are a lot of people here, a lot of people interested in the fight. A lot of heavyweight boxers though, have also turned up. Anyone from MMA? Yeah, we’ve got Simeon Powell here, who’s one of the top light heavyweights in the PFL. He’s walking around a big, tall, rangy guy, lethal with his knees. So he’ll be fighting on a Francis Ngarnu card very soon. I’m telling you, the interest, it’s the interest, intrigue of the unknown that will get to us all with this fight yeah I think that that’s that’s why people whether they like it or not and I don’t really care what they say they will a lot of people boxing fans in particular will say I’m not watching this fight they will watch it because they’ll be interested and they’ll be intrigued to see what actually happened from an MMA perspective is a boxer he was your best heavyweight UFC fighter and he’s now to switch scores. Do you think this is something that people in the MMA are going to be looking at in the UFC and thinking, well, I got a minute. Absolutely. Especially because the money that he’s making. I mean, it took a lot of confidence for him to fight out of his contract to become a free agent, but it’s paid off, right? He’s got the big payday. He’s got the opportunity. He’s got MMA fights as well in his future with the PFL. So honestly, I feel like it’s all positive for the mixed martial arts community. And I think they’ll be watching this just hoping that he holds his own at least a little bit, but they won’t be there won’t be having out any any outlandish predictions that he’s gonna do anything spectacular. Boxing wise we don’t expecting Garnu to out box Tyson but there will be a lot of people hanging on to the hope that he lands a big punch. How does it affect UFC fighters and UFC fans if and it could happen that he you know he doesn’t he doesn’t hit Tyson, Tyson boxes his head off and then he gets knocked out if that happens what are the UFC and the UFC fans saying? I mean I don’t think most people would be surprised I think I I think, you know, MMA fans are realistic. We know what works and what doesn’t. And we recognize when someone’s very good at a particular thing, and Tyson’s excellent at what he does. Now, we wouldn’t expect Inganu to be able to step over and, you know, hold a torch to him in a boxing ring, but this is about fighting, and this is where Inganu’s different. And I feel like a lot of people will be looking at him and going, you know, I think he might have an opportunity to land something, but if he doesn’t, Inganu’s the better fighter out of the two. As the boxes are getting ready, what I wanted to touch on, actually, something brought up at the end, the weight, that was a really interesting conversation that came up there, because Francis Ngarnu is used to cutting weight, and it’s brutal weight in the MMA, whereas this time he doesn’t have to do that. So it is an unknown for him, there’s so many aspects of this fight that is a full unknown, because he’s never had to, what weight is he gonna be? I think Don’s the man to speak to in this, because I didn’t even realize until today that there was an upward limit in the heavyweight division in MMA, so that’ll be interesting, he can weigh in whatever he wants, and saying that, what he doesn’t wanna do is, He wants to weigh in his optimum weight. He doesn’t want to weigh in fat and heavy, and I’m sure he won’t, but you know what I’m trying to say. For sure. I mean, we saw Wilder come in heavier in the second Tyson Fury fight, and he didn’t look any better for it. I feel like Inganu is going to benefit by being- All right, here we go, boys. Let’s come back to that. Let’s just take a look at what is going on. Do we think he’s going to take his shirt off? That’s what Tyson’s trying to get him to do. I’ll tell you what, it doesn’t matter what shape Francis Inganu’s in. He’s going to be in better shape right now Tyson Furious. No he’s not gonna do it I think I think he’s probably someone that if you tell if you tell Francis to do it he’ll probably he’ll probably not do it just because you’re asked him to. Right I want to see these I want to see these two match up height wise because see in gone who’s fought big guys at heavyweight but he’s not fought someone the likes of Tyson Fury, someone that moves like he does. We’ve got tall fighters in MMA, you know, Volkov and Struve, and this is a different thing. He knows how to fight like a big man. The difference in height isn’t as… I thought it was going to be much greater. There’s only a couple of inches there. I thought that Tyson would have had a lot of advantage in that department. I’ve been trying to see the hand size as well in going, he’s got massive hands you have to make special gloves for him really yeah yeah does that mean you’ll get special boxing gloves then? I don’t know you may have to depending on what gloves you have like it all there was gloves that I liked I have small hands but there were some gloves that were actually tight on me believe it or not so I mean you’ve got to probably make a set of gloves in the shipyard for Francis says. There’s a few cows worth of leather that’s for sure. The physique of Tyson as well though it’s actually mad that he can get up on his toes and move around. Look at the shape of him. It’s not pretty on the eye but he can do it it doesn’t make sense right and there’s an efficiency to that kind of frame it heavyweights as well isn’t that mean you know you look at in Ghana and yeah you know he looks like an Adonis but there’s a there’s a cardiovascular cost to carrying that muscle tissue around right like you know you look at the likes of butterbean and some of the big big heavyweights in the past Roy Nelson in the UFC was a big heavy dude that was on the sides but it can move well and he can punch you know these are we definitely can’t assume that the optimum heavyweight frame is anything like in Ghana especially over rounds For him example is AJ, he’s been criticized for blowing out a muscular specimen and that’s a criticism that’s always thrown at him. Tayson Fury has never been criticized for gassing on the fake, that’s for sure. Very cool, not nearly as much size difference as I was expecting. No, me neither. When you put them next to each other, when we saw them on the red carpet earlier on, I thought there was a much bigger difference but they’re pretty evenly matched there. You’ve got to remember, Tyson’s still worn his Crocs as well, though. Yeah, Crocs are the suit. Only he can get away with that. I know, but look, this whole press conference and the face-off, it’s what we expect from Tyson Fury, isn’t it? I think he’s been great. You know, I thought as soon as he got out of his seat, I was like, OK, Tyson’s here, he’s, you know, he’s settling into his routine. And I thought he was very complimentary, but quite realistic about what he’s up against. And I think, you know, in Ghanu, he’s very realistic about what he’s up against. He knows that the odds are stacked against him. But if you’ve got fight ending power like he does I mean, why not roll the dice? I think there’s genuine confidence in both guys. Both guys think they can win the fight Yeah, it seemed that anyway from from from listening to what they were saying Do we believe Tyson when he says like six weeks for Deontay Wilder in 12 weeks? I believe yeah, I believe him but it’d be interesting to know why what is the reason for that? why only six weeks for Dante Wilder? Why are you preparing for 12 weeks? Maybe it’s the fact that he understands that the unpredictability from Francis Ngannou may be an issue, maybe sparring with more kind of unorthodox fighters and longer preparation for it. That may be the reason why, but I’m not quite sure. Yeah, no, it’s a good point. I think that it certainly sounds like he’s done his due diligence by going out and finding other people to spar with that aren’t your typical heavyweights. I just don’t know how you prepare for someone like Francis Ngannou, because even he doesn’t know what he’s going to do sometimes. You know, when he puts his foot on the gas, who knows what’s going to happen? Just get out of the way. How much is sheer grit determination? And there was quite emphasis then in that press conference on Francis Ngarnu’s history, his childhood, where he’s come from. Because if you look back on his story, he has come from a place of nowhere. You know, and I mean that in terms of lifestyle and the way he was brought up and the fact he had a job at 10 years old and he had to strive and he’s had to work and then Tyson was saying well people have laughed at him when he said oh I’m going to be the UFC heavyweight champion of the world I’m going to fight Tyson Bure. He’s done it. Why are we writing this man off? Only if you don’t know him I think that’s why people would write him off. I mean of course you know there’s a skill there’s a technical difference between the two fighters but heart determination you can’t take that away from Francis Ngarnu. I mean as you said if you take the 10 year old Francis Ngarnu And you say okay one day he’s gonna become a heavyweight champion of something anything the odds would be astronomical It’s probably there’s probably a smaller odds line for him to be beaten Tyson Fury in a boxing match now He’s found himself in this situation. I just don’t you can count someone out that strived so much throughout their life Let’s just go back to sorry sorry baggie typically and not all the time, but typically Fighters boxers MMA guys they come from hardship the top guys do there’s been a bit of of hardship in their life at some point, and that’s what makes them the determined fighters that they are, so Francis has certainly got that. Let’s go back to talking about the weight conversation we were having just before the face-off came in, because I say it’s a really interesting unknown for Francis Ngarno, and the MMA cut is, well, we were talking about your weight cut in boxing, and sort of how you did it compared to how UFC fighters do it, and it is a completely different technique. Yeah, I mean, I think the culture around the sport is quite different. I mean, I know, of course, across all combat sports, people are trying to get down to the right weight class where they’re not gonna be undersized. But because of the influence in wrestling from high school and college, we have people cutting a lot more weight. You know, and water loading, as you said, you tried in your last couple of fights. Sometimes people are dropping 20, 25, 30 pounds, sometimes fight week to get to the scales. And then they can rehydrate very much close to where they were. I don’t expect too much of that from these two guys. I think Francis is gonna step in pretty close to the weight class that he’s going to be actually fighting in, but then he’s most