Francis
Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, recently revealed that “The
Predator” made sure the effects of his life-changing payday for the
boxing match with Tyson Fury
were felt by everyone close to him.
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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king exited
the promotion on Jan. 14, 2023, after a lengthy contract dispute.
Ngannou subsequently signed with rival promotion Professional
Fighters League and also secured a boxing match with the lineal and
WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.
Ngannou not only shocked the world by taking “The Gypsy King” to a
controversial split decision but also reportedly earned a $10
million payday, which is more than all of his UFC career earnings
combined.
According to Nicksick, the payment he received for helping prepare
Ngannou for the Fury fight brought him to tears.
“It was the most money I’ve ever been paid by a fighter – it was
unbelievable,” Nicksick told MMAjunkie.com.
“It was more than I expected. Obviously, Francis has always taken
great care of me, but it floored me. When I saw my Wells Fargo
account that morning, it literally brought me to tears. That’s a
true story. Literally brought me to tears because he changed my
life – not only from a professional standpoint but a monetary
standpoint.
“It allowed me a lot of financial freedom to enjoy my coaching,
being a dad, and a husband. I get to take my kids to Park City this
weekend for my daughter’s 16th birthday. Helped us buy a new car.
There are a lot of things with Francis moving over to boxing, and
the way he takes care of his team. He loves every single one of us,
and he shows it. He takes care of us, and I couldn’t thank him
enough.”
Nicksick also noted that he was the assistant coach to Dewey
Cooper for Ngannou’s bout against Fury but received more money
than for his stints as “The Predator’s” head coach for his two UFC
title fights.
“Remember, as his head coach, the two title fights with Stipe
[Miocic] and [Ciryl] Gane, he paid me more for the Tyson Fury
fight as basically his assistant behind Dewey,” Nicksick said. “I
was behind Dewey, and I got paid way more than I did in the Gane
and Stipe fights, and he was taking care of me on that, as well,
percentage-wise. If he wants to box, man, I’m all for it. All day
long, brother.”
While Ngannou is most interested in a rematch against Fury,
Nicksick says they aren’t very hopeful considering the Englishman
is slated to clash with Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17. Ngannou was also
in talks about a mixed-rules fight against Deontay
Wilder, which has now lost luster following “The Bronze
Bomber’s” upset loss to Joseph
Parker in December. According to Nicksick, Anthony
Joshua, who picked up a stoppage win over Otto Wallin on the
same card, is the most viable opponent for Ngannou next from a
boxing perspective.