Francis Ngannou decided to prepare for Anthony Joshua without the help of Mike Tyson.
Francis Ngannou has made a major decision regarding Mike Tyson ahead of his monstrous fight against Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou returns to the boxing ring next FRIDAY when he takes on former world heavyweight champion Joshua.
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It will be his first appearance since his valiant showing against Tyson Fury, where he dropped the WBC title holder en route to losing a controversial decision.
Ngannou will look to get off the mark in the world of boxing following his high-profile UFC departure.
‘The Predator’ drafted in ‘Iron’ Mike for his training camp ahead of facing Fury last October and was ringside for their Riyadh clash.
But he has dropped the boxing icon from his camp ahead of his fight against Joshua.
“To be honest with this fight since my training was here [Riyadh], we didn’t get Mike Tyson here,” revealed Ngannou.
“He came in like three times [for Fury], he was more advising.
“He would come and watch our training, he would be there to give advice.”
Tyson helped Ngannou prepare for his boxing debut, with the fighter’s trainer, Dewey Cooper, explaining his involvement for this camp.
“Well, Mike is his family to us,” he said. “Mike and I have been friends since the 90s. He used to come to my fights and show me support and love, and Francis talked about this over four years ago. Before Francis won the heavyweight championship in the UFC, Mike Tyson was his inspiration to want to do this boxing thing.
“So, Francis and Mike Tyson have a very special relationship. So, even if Mike isn’t here, him and Francis talk, his motivation is there one way or another. “
Ngannou could emulate Tyson’s achievement of winning a world heavyweight title should he beat Joshua.
A victory over ‘AJ’ could see him land an undisputed showdown against the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Ngannou is in preparation for his gigantic fight against Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8.
He enters his bout with ‘AJ’ having taken Tyson Fury the distance in their clash last year.
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Ngannou dropped Fury as he impressed fans and critics alike with his brilliant performance in his boxing debut.
The former UFC heavyweight champion will look to get off the mark in the boxing ranks when he meets the British star.
And he has sent a terrifying warning to Joshua ahead of their contest next week.
Ngannou showed off his incredible power as he landed a devastating right hand on a punch machine, recording a massive score of 999.
He almost beat Fury in his last fight as former UFC fighter Dan Hardy reckons ‘The Predator’ will come out victorious against Joshua.
“I’m going with Ngannou genuinely,” said Hardy.
“I picked Fury in the last one. I felt Fury was going to be able to catch him fifth or sixth round once he started to get tired. But this for me is a much better match up for Ngannou.
“I feel like AJ’s easier to hit, easier to rattle psychologically and I feel like because of the unknown commodity of Francis Ngannou there’s going to be a shock to the system.”
A win over Joshua could see Ngannou secure a undisputed showdown against the winner of Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, which goes down on May 18.
Joshua, meanwhile, is on a three-fight winning streak having lost back-to-back fights to Usyk.
He boasts wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.
The 34-year-old rolled back the years to deliver a masterful showing against Wallin, stopping the Swede in the fifth round.
