BY SEAN NAM
September 11, 2023
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Promoter Bob Arum, no stranger to ballyhoo, apparently thinks highly of the punching power of Francis Ngannou.
Arum’s client, Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight titlist, will take on Ngannou in a heavyweight extravaganza (and Ngannou’s boxing debut) on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia. The press conference for the crossover bout took place earlier this week in London.
Notwithstanding the fact that Ngannou has never professionally fought in a boxing ring or that his opponent may very well be the greatest heavyweight talent of the past decade, Arum feels the former UFC heavyweight champion stands to exhibit a similar kind of threat as renowned power puncher Deontay Wilder. Wilder, of course, shares a trilogy with Fury, who won the last two fights both by stoppage but was also knocked down several times in the fights. (The first fight was a draw.)
Asked in a recent interview if Ngannou, who was widely respected for his punching power in the UFC, might be comparable to the kind of “danger” imposed by Wilder, Arum did not hesitate to answer in the affirmative.
“Yeah, I think he can,” Arum told Boxing News+. “I think he can. Obviously Deontay has trained his whole life as a boxer so he had that in his favor. But it’s the same type of danger that Fury faces fighting Ngannou as when he fought Deontay Wilder.”
Many fans and critics have lampooned the match-up, calling it a mismatch and money grab. But organizers for the fight, including Fury’s British promoter, Frank Warren, have tried to rationalize Ngannou’s lack of boxing experience by pointing to his raw power. Ngannou is currently trained by Mike Tyson.
Arum said that while Fury has demonstrated that he has a chin in his three fights with Wilder, he noted that he is not completely infallible. Fury, of course, was once dropped by the cruiserweight Steve Cunningham. “Tyson has shown resiliency with big punches, like Deontay Wilder,” Arum said. “But notice they were able to knock him down, so, again, this fight can go the other way, if Tyson isn’t fully prepared.”
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