Tyson
Fury has admitted he did not take Francis
Ngannou seriously, a mindset that nearly cost him the
fight.
Fury faced Ngannou in October 2023 in the latter’s professional
boxing debut. Despite being knocked down by a powerful punch in the
third round, Fury recovered to edge Ngannou by split decision over
10 rounds.
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Francis Ngannou knocked Fury down after the heavyweight
dismissed the bout as an exhibition
In a recent interview with ALF Global, Fury admitted he was
underprepared for his bout with Ngannou. He explained that he
viewed the matchup more as an exhibition than a serious fight.
“No, I didn’t train for him because I didn’t think he was a good
fighter,” Fury said. “I knew he was a good fighter, but to me it’s
levels to boxing.”
Fury explained that he viewed the matchup differently because the
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champ doesn’t have any boxing
credentials or accolades. The Englishman also discussed Ngannou’s
mindset going into the fight.
“When you do an exhibition fight, play, it wasn’t really a fight,
do you understand what I’m saying?” Fury said. “It wasn’t, in my
mind, a fight; it’s just an exhibition, a game. To him, to Ngannou,
it was, ‘Ah, big fight, I fight Tyson Fury!’ To me, it was play, a
game, you know what I mean?”
Fury is rumored to be taking on Anthony
Joshua later this year, with negotiations still underway
regarding the date and location.