"Sell more pay per views" - Former champion believes Mike Tyson will have 'no impact' on Francis Ngannou
Paulie Malignaggi is the latest to say that Mike Tyson won't be helping Francis Ngannou much this week.
'Iron Mike' is currently in a unique position, as he is the coach of 'The Predator'. Tyson has been friends with Ngannou for years but has never coached in a full-time or even part-time capacity. However, when his friend asked for help, he couldn't just stand by.
With that in mind, the legend has been guiding Ngannou to try and upset Tyson Fury. 'The Gypsy King' is currently a massive favorite heading into their boxing match, slated for this Saturday night.
While Mike Tyson has released some impressive videos working with Francis Ngannou, many don't believe it will matter. It's safe to say that Paulie Malignaggi is in that camp. Speaking in an interview with the OLBG, 'The Magic Man' previewed the heavyweight bout.
There, he stated that 'Iron Mike' won't help Ngannou at all on fight night. Furthermore, the former champion took aim at MMA fans for believing that the legend would be able to help 'The Predator'. Speaking in the interview, he stated:
"Mike Tyson will have absolutely no impact on Francis Ngannou whatsoever. Absolutely none. Tyson is there as a headline maker, to sell more pay per views. The MMA fans unfortunately are the least intelligent in all of professional sports... I'm happy for Ngannou that he's getting paid because Dana White is an absolute pig for not paying their fighters what they're worth. But I think Ngannou is going to end up taking a beating for the money.”
Mike Tyson reportedly paid well by Saudi Arabia to train Francis Ngannou
It seems that there's a bit more to the Mike Tyson training situation than many knew.
Earlier this year, when 'Iron Mike' began training 'The Predator', it didn't strike as a surprise to many. The two have been friends for years, and Tyson has previously been seen giving Ngannou boxing tips in the past.
Nonetheless, the PFL heavyweight contender stated that the two made a deal years ago that he would coach him. According to Ngannou, Tyson agreed that if he could get a bout with 'The Gypsy King', he would help him.
However, it seems that Mike Tyson had an added incentive. As first reported by Kevin Iole, the boxing legend has been paid well by Saudi Arabia to train Francis Ngannou. In addition to that, the country is flying many celebrities to attend the bout as well.
It's safe to say that the promotion is pulling out all the stops for this bout.