Mike Tyson Reportedly Paid ‘Very Handsomely’ by Saudis to ‘Act’ as Francis Ngannou’s Trainer
Mike Tyson’s training of Francis Ngannou ahead of the former UFC heavyweight champion’s professional boxing debut may be nothing more than a dog and pony show backed by Saudi Arabian promoters.
On Saturday, October 28, Ngannou is scheduled to make his long-awaited return to combat sports when he steps inside the squared circle for a clash with undefeated WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury in Riyadh.
Appearing alongside Ngannou throughout much of his training camp has been legendary pugilist ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The former unified heavyweight titleholder was often spotted in video clips working with Ngannou since news of his fight against ‘The Gypsy King’ broke.
Per a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, Mike Tyson’s has been nothing more than cosmetic, claiming that the once embattled boxer was paid handsomely to simply act as Ngannou’s trainer for promotional purposes.
“The Saudis have paid Mike Tyson to act as Francis Ngannou’s trainer (very, Very, VERY handsomely, I’m told),” Iole wrote on X. “They are flying in celeb boxers, including [Manny] Pacquiao, [Roberto] Duran, [Erik] Morales, ‘Big’ George Foreman, MA Barrera, Joe Calzaghe, Tommy Hearns, Frank Bruno. Floyd Mayweather may go too.
“He hasn’t trained Francis but they figured his presence would bring attention to the event,” he added in a follow-up post. “Dewey Cooper trained him.”
Tyson Fury is Ready to Double Dip into Saudi Arabia’s Deep Pockets
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has gotten heavily involved in multiple sporting ventures. In 2018, World Wrestling Entertainment, which now flies under the same banner as the UFC, signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s General Sport Authority to produce events in the Middle Eastern country.
Three years after inking a deal with WWE, A Saudi consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund successfully purchased England’s Newcastle United soccer team for a reported $409 million.
After causing an uproar in the world of professional golf, Saudi Arabia has now set its sights on being a big player in the world of professional boxing. The country will, of course, host Francis Ngannou’s fight with Tyson Fury, but ‘The Gypsy King’ is already planning to make a quick turnaround for a long-awaited title unification clash with Oleksandr Usyk in December. That bout will also reportedly take place in Saudi Arabia, assuming all goes according to plan.
Earlier this year, Tyson Fury’s brother, Tommy Fury, traveled to the country to compete against social media star Jake Paul in the ancient city of Diriyah.
In March 2024, the UFC will make its debut in Saudi Arabia for a Fight Night event held in conjunction with the country’s Riyadh Season festival.
