Exclusive – John Fury claims ex-UFC star Francis Ngannou is ‘A danger to every heavyweight in the division’
John Fury believes Francis Ngannou is a danger to every man in the heavyweight division.
After dominating the world of mixed martial arts, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut in October against perhaps the greatest pugilist on the planet today, Tyson Fury. Going into the bout, ‘The Predator’ was a massive underdog, and understandably so considering the creditials of his opposition. However, it took Ngannou a little less than three rounds to show the boxing world that he was for real.
In the third round, Ngannou sent the combat sports community to its knees as he blasted ‘The Gypsy King’ with a counter-left that sent the reigning WBC heavyweight titleholder to the canvas.
After 10 entertaining rounds of action, Fury skated by with a very contentious split-decision victory. But nobody was interested in talking about the Manchester native’s 34th straight win. Instead, they all marveled at the impressive showing that Ngannou delivered against ‘The King of the World.’ The performance was so sensational that the WBC ranked ‘The Predator’ as the No. 10 heavyweight in the world despite only having one fight and zero wins.
John Fury touts Francis Ngannou as major threat to boxing
Next, Francis Ngannou will face No. 1 ranked WBC contender Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking with Murdo Todd in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, John Fury — who is sponsored by FreeBets, the father of heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury, spoke about the danger that Ngannou brings to any man who dares step in front of him — including Joshua.
“He’s a danger to every heavyweight in the division,” Fury said. “I’m not saying he’s going to beat [Joshua], but if any man can, it’ll be him. He’s in front of you. He can punch. He’s a brave fella. He’s big and strong. You’ve got to have a set down there to mess with people like Ngannou and he brings a whole new level of boxing to A.J.
“The biggest opponent he’s faced. The strongest opponent he’s faced. And probably the hardest hitter he’s ever faced. And if he does detonate on you… Unless you’ve got a cast iron chin like Tyson and a desire like Tyson to win, you’re going to stay down.”
Making his MMA debut in 2013, Ngannou amassed a record of 17-3, including 12 wins under the UFC banner and an incredible 11 victories by way of knockout. He finished former UFC champions Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez in back-to-back bouts before eventually claiming his first world title with a second-round KO over the man many consider to be the UFC’s heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic.
After a long and unsuccessful renegotiation with the UFC, Ngannou parted ways with the promotion in 2023 and signed with the Professional Fighters League a few months later. Ngannou is yet to make his first appearance inside the PFL Smart Cage and could very well hold off on making a return to MMA until 2025 so he can focus on his newly established pro boxing career.
“He’s a danger, man,” Fury added. “A danger to all of them. Any heavyweight in the world. Tyson’s extra special. That’s why he’s the king of the world. That’s why he’s unbeaten. That’s why he’s at the top of the game. Because he’s special. Even though people won’t accept he’s special. You’ll see how special Ngannou is when he fights other people.”
He continued, “Ngannou is a big strong fella. He’s muscly, but he can also move. He’s athletic and if you’re there, he’ll take the top of your head straight off. And don’t forget he’s a lot more powerful a man than any Andy Ruiz Jr. When he gets you in trouble, you’ll know about it and he won’t just do that with A.J. He’ll do it to anybody out there.”
Watch the full exclusive interview with John Fury below:
