Exclusive – John Fury claims Francis Ngannou fight was ‘Wake-Up call’ Tyson Fury needed ahead of title return

John Fury, the father of reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, says the close call with Francis Ngannou was the “kick in the backside” they both needed.

In October, ‘The Gypsy King’ returned to the squared circle for a clash with former UFC heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou who was making his professional boxing debut. Fury entered the bout as a massive favorite, but it didn’t take long for those odds to flip once the two men started throwing hands. Not only did Ngannou go toe-to-toe through 10 entertaining rounds, but he also sent Fury crashing to the canvas in the third via a counter-left.

In the end, Fury walked away with his undefeated record intact, escaping with a closely contested and much-maligned split decision.

John Fury describes Ngannou – Fury bout as a “wake-up call”

Speaking with Murdo Todd in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, John Fury who is sponsored by FreeBets, revealed that the fight with Francis Ngannou was a wake-up call for him and Tyson Fury.

“Things happen in this life for a reason and sometimes people need a wake-up call, don’t they? A kick in the backside,” Fury said. “That’s what that was, but it put him in good stead for what’s happening next month. He had 10 good rounds. It wasn’t easy. He boxed a very capable man in Ngannou. You’re going to see a lot more damage from Ngannou in the heavyweight division in the future. I’m sure of it.

“[Tyson] has done what he had to do. He’s got to go to another level and do what’s right, but he had a bad day at the office, but Tyson can still win on a bad night. Two in the morning ring walk, all different… What can you do? These things are sent to try us, but as long as he’s learned from it, he still got the win and he can move on. Learn what you do wrong. Learn by your mistakes and you can improve on life.

“I’m sure he’s done that. I can’t tell you what’s happening in the training camp because I’ve not been there, but I’m sure they’ve had the wake-up call just like I have. If they haven’t, they shouldn’t be in the job. That’s as much as I can say.”

Tyson Fury will face another tough test on Saturday, February 17 when he meets reigning WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in a long-awaited clash for the unified heavyweight world title.

The bout will emanate from Riyadh in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the same location where Fury fought Ngannou last year.