"His face was a funny color" - When John Fury leaked behind-the-scenes details on how Francis Ngannou fought the "worst version" of Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury narrowly escaped an upset against Francis Ngannou in a high-stakes bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Despite being the overwhelming favorite, Fury suffered a shocking knockdown and delivered a lackluster performance, raising questions about his preparation and mindset.
Ngannou's power and composure surprised many, pushing Fury to his limits before securing a controversial points win.
Tyson's father, John Fury, later revealed that the heavyweight champion faced significant challenges before the fight. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Fury Sr. admitted that Tyson appeared unusually ill during preparations:
"Ngannou probably fought the worst version of Tyson I have ever seen, physically and mentally. Even in the dressing room, his face was a funny colour. I was watching him spar the week before, and I wasn't impressed. His lungs were all over the place during the week, I was taking notes of how hard he was breathing after rounds. It could be where we were at, but things weren't improving. He had a terrible week, one of his worst ever, but he still did enough to win."
Ngannou's controlled aggression, aided by strategic advice from Mike Tyson, rattled Fury early on, leaving the champion scrambling to adjust. Fury Sr. criticized Tyson's lack of focus, claiming that he underestimated Ngannou and relied too heavily on knockout punches rather than strategy:
"If Tyson wasn't able to go back to the old version of him in the later rounds he was f***ed. But he hadn't been training to do that, and he was instead trying to throw bombs. I saw it coming, and I knew this would happen. What was he doing trying to blow him away? He wasn't giving it his full wit, his full concentration, and he thought it was going to be easy because people were telling him that."
Francis Ngannou discusses potential Jon Jones super-fight
Francis Ngannou has expressed interest in a super-fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Speaking with TMZ Sports, Ngannou acknowledged mutual interest but identified promotional obstacles as the primary impediment.
Ngannou, now with a different promotion, stated that while both fighters want the fight, their current affiliations make it difficult. Reflecting on Jones' legacy, Ngannou admitted that he regards Jones as the greatest fighter of all time and believes a fight between the two would cement both of their legacies:
"We both know we both want this fight, for sure. And it would be a good fight for us. There's more to this, like legacy and everything. I mean, I can finish my career at some point, but it will always be great to know that, okay, you faced that guy - that guy who is the best in the sport, to ever do the sport."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below (3:29):