"Francis is being given bad advice" - Chael Sonnen says it's 'risky and silly' for Francis Ngannou to hold out for boxing bout against Tyson Fury
Chael Sonnen believes Francis Ngannou has been given bad advice about stepping into a boxing ring with Tyson Fury.
Ngannou has shown deep interest in fighting Fury in the squared circle. He has been open about his newfound desire to move over to the sport of boxing and fight the Englishman.
Sonnen, while disagreeing with Francis Ngannou's management, said that the Cameroonian's aspiration for a crossover bout against 'The Gypsy King' is "risky" and "silly."
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Bad Guy' said:
"I no longer think he's bluffing. I do believe that Francis is being given bad advice. Whatever Francis is thinking, that the world wants him to go and fight Tyson Fury, I don't know who put that in his head, but that's Francis' dream and I'll be way out of bounds trying to take it from him. If you got some promoter out there that's willing to lose a ton of money and wants to throw at that match...how they're gonna sell... I really have the foggiest idea... It would seem like a very risky thing and even a silly thing to hold out for."
Watch the full video below:
Although his interest in boxing Fury has deepened in recent days and weeks, 'The Predator' failed to establish his striking skills against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Despite that, Francis Ngannou utilized his wrestling skills and outpointed the Frenchman, eventually securing a unanimous decision victory in the opening pay-per-view main event of the year.
Francis Ngannou was also invisibly fatigued after just two rounds, suggesting 'Bon Gamin' was too much for the Cameroonian in the striking department. With that in mind, many will believe Sonnen's view on Ngannou wanting to box Fury is somewhat justified.
Josh Thomson criticized Francis Ngannou's boxing against Ciryl Gane - "He Looked Horrible"
Josh Thomson has given his thoughts on Francis Ngannou's boxing against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 this past weekend.
According to Thomson, while Ngannou defeated Gane and utilized his grappling by switching the gameplan after failing to land anything significant on 'Bon Gamin', his boxing for the first two rounds was disappointing.
During an episode of the Weighing In podcast, he said:
“He looked horrible in his boxing, Francis did. He was laboring everything, he was forcing everything, he didn’t look technical at all. Loading up and he was missing everything by a mile. I mean, a lot of things weren’t even close. You can just tell he was so tense, trying to hit him and I think there was just so much pressure from all the trash talk, all the video talk, all the corner talk, all of that stuff. I wasn’t impressed with the fight at all.”
Watch Thomson's take on the Weighing In podcast below:
With Francis Ngannou failing to make a statement on the feet at UFC 270, a superfight against Tyson Fury may be a long way in the future for the African UFC champion.
For now, Ngannou will look to secure the best deal possible with the UFC. Talks for him to re-sign a contract with the benefits he desires will likely continue between his management and the promoiton in the coming months.
However, with his recent comments and the post-fight conduct of Dana White, it appears increasingly likely that 'The Predator' could sit out his contract and enter free agency in 2023.