"I think he is the unicorn in the division" - Top boxing analyst calls Francis Ngannou the "golden goose" of present-day boxing
Francis Ngannou is now a shining star in the combat sports world, basking in the afterglow of his remarkable performance during his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury last weekend.
'The Predator' managed to knock Fury down in the third round and left a substantial cut on his forehead. Additionally, he engaged in a split decision that ultimately went in favor of the WBC heavyweight champion. Ngannou's display defied the expectations of many and garnered the admiration of fans who were impressed by his skills.
Francis Ngannou shattered numerous preconceived notions, firmly establishing himself as a legitimate threat in the squared circle. His performance arguably surpassed any expectations for an MMA fighter in a crossover matchup.
During his recent appearance on Michael Bisping's podcast, Adam Catterall couldn't help but praise the former UFC heavyweight champion's abilities and hailed him as the current biggest sensation in the boxing world:
"I think Francis Ngannou is the golden goose now. I think he's the unicorn in the division if you got anything above himself, you'll fight that guy because you now know what he can do. Tyson Fury didn't know, he didn't know what he could do boxing wise he went in there and kind of freestyled it a little bit."
He added:
"Now people are going to go, 'Oh fu*kin g hell this guy is actually alright'. But from a casual fan's point of view on the widest aspect of stuff, he brings so many eyeballs. He is pound signs just screaming off the table."
Check out Catterall's comments below (from 29:30):
What sparked the heated verbal clash between Chael Sonnen and Ariel Helwani regarding Francis Ngannou?
During Chael Sonnen's recent appearance on The MMA Hour on Tuesday, a heated confrontation unfolded with the show host, Ariel Helwani. While the two had previously engaged in friendly and passionate discussions about combat sports during their co-hosting days on Ariel and The Bad Guy, their recent interaction took a more contentious turn.
The catalyst for their dispute was Helwani's invitation to Sonnen to share his thoughts on Francis Ngannou's split decision loss to Tyson Fury, which rapidly escalated into a fiery debate.
The former UFC middleweight title contender challenged Helwani's assessment of Ngannou's potential earnings from his boxing debut, asserting that the pay-per-view event hadn't performed as well as claimed. The disagreement escalated into a confrontational exchange, during which Sonnen even issued a menacing remark about "strangling" Helwani while the 41-year-old host persistently accused Sonnen of dishonesty.
After several minutes of intense, vocal sparring, Sonnen abruptly ended the interview, leaving Helwani uncertain about the veracity of Sonnen's anger.