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Francis Ngannou predicts who would win between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

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After losing to both British heavyweights in the last six months

Francis Ngannou has weighed in on the long-contested debate over who would win if Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury ever faced off inside the ring.

Fury was taken the distance by Ngannou in October 2023 but the fight was scored in the Brit's favour

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has fought both British heavyweights in the last six months, but fallen to defeats on both occasions, most recently to Joshua last Friday.

The Cameroonian fighter suffered a stunning second-round knockout loss against the former two-time heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia, falling afoul of a stunning right from the Brit.

Joshua secured a comprehensive second round knockout victory over Ngannou on Friday

After hitting the deck twice already in the fight it proved too much for Ngannou to come back from, and he was seemingly unconscious by the time he hit the canvas for the third time on the night.

Against Fury, the MMA star made it the distance, with many talking up his credentials as a boxer after the surprising result, and as a veteran of both fights he is perhaps well placed to give his verdict on a potential winner.

Francis Ngannou has weighed in on the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury debate after losing to both fighters

After losing to AJ on Friday, Ngannou was asked who he backed to come out on top if the two ever crossed paths, he told iFL TV: ‘I don’t know, I would give it to AJ for right now.’

When asked about whether he was caught out by Joshua’s power, he added: ‘I think he got the right timing. It was about the timing, mostly.

Joshua has looked back to his best in his most recent fights, beating Otto Wallin in December after his corner threw in the towel, having stopped Robert Helenius in August 2023 for a first knockout win in almost three years.

Ngannou caught a brilliant right cross from Joshua to the face that sent him plummeting to the canvas

However, following his win over Ngannou on Friday, Fury appeared to throw some shade at Joshua.

‘Me and Oleksandr Usyk have got an undisputed heavyweight world title fight coming up, and he’s just had a show fight – which is fantastic for the show, but for the actual real boxing it’s me and Usyk who fight for the No 1 position and undisputed,’ he told talkSPORT’s Michael Benson.

Joshua hit out at the Gypsy King in the wake of his second-round win, seemingly brushing off his compatriot’s comments and dubbing him a trash talker.

 

 

Joshua called Fury's remarks about Ngannou 'disrespectful' after the MMA star 'changed his life around'
Joshua called Fury’s remarks about Ngannou ‘disrespectful’ after the MMA star ‘changed his life around’

Speaking to iFL TV, Joshua was asked about Fury’s reaction to his knockout and simply replied: ‘F*** Tyson Fury.’

He added: ‘You know what it is? I don’t like trash talking people but I heard him say something like “I’m here to do commentary about these two sausages”.

‘That guy that I fought (Ngannou), that he fought, is an ex-UFC heavyweight champion. A phenomenal story. Someone who changed his life around.

‘It’s too disrespectful. Forget anything about him.’

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Anthony Joshua sends a BOLD message to Tyson Fury with this gesture

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Anthony Joshua has expressed his desire to fight Tyson Fury next, having knocked out Francis Ngannou in devastating fashion on Friday.

Ex-UFC champion Ngannou made his boxing debut in October, dropping Fury in a shocking moment before losing a controversial decision. The Cameroonian did not come close to replicating that performance against Joshua, however, suffering a brutal second-round loss.

Briton Joshua, 34, dropped Ngannou, 37, in round one and did the same twice in round two. The final knockdown proved decisive, with Ngannou out cold on the canvas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua then seemed to make a gun gesture at his preferred next target, Fury, who was sat in the front row at the Kingdom Arena.

Speaking in the ring after the win, “AJ” said: “If that was me [losing], you’d be saying, ‘Joshua should retire.’ I don’t know if I’m in my peak. I’m pushing day by day, who knows where it will take me? In five years, I won’t be fighting no more, this will be a distant memory

Anthony Joshua sends message to Tyson Fury after Francis Ngannou knockout
Joshua knocked out Ngannou in round two, five months after the Cameroonian dropped the ‘Gypsy King’

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Tyson Fury provides update on Anthony Joshua fight: ‘There’s still a long way to go’

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Tyson Fury has provided an update on a showdown with Anthony Joshua after his rival’s devastating knockout of Francis Ngannou.

The heavyweight world champion watched ringside in Riyadh as ‘AJ’ dispatched the former UFC champion in two dominant rounds with a crushing performance.

Ngannou was dropped heavily twice before the emphatic finish, sparking excitement over a potential meeting between the two British rivals.

Fury is in line to face Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Joshua twice previously, in an undisputed title fight in May, but Joshua reiterated his desire to meet the winner in the immediate aftermath of his latest victory.

Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in round two, five months after the Cameroonian dropped the ‘Gypsy King’ in a split decision defeat

Tyson Fury provides update on Anthony Joshua fight
“There’s quite a long way to go, there’s always been a lot of shit getting in the way of it. I’ve got bigger fish to fry, 18 May, then we have a rematch in October. After that, if he’s still available and I’m available, let’s get it on.

“yes, it goes both ways, he can do what he wants, whoever he fights, he can’t wait a year, inactivity is no good.

“After I beat Usyk, the IBF will be vacant, so maybe he can fight Hrgovic.

“I’m healing well, I’m not even in camp yet, I’ll go to camp at the end of March and I’ll spar then.”

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Tyson Fury’s stance on withdrawing from Oleksandr Usyk fight revealed after Anthony Joshua offer

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Tyson Fury won’t be withdrawing from his fight with Oleksandr Usyk, his father has claimed.

And that’s a blow for Anthony Joshua, with the Briton’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently admitting he was prepared to step in should the showdown suffer any further setbacks.

Fury and Usyk had been due to meet in the ring earlier this month, only for a gruesome eye injury sustained by the 35-year-old to push the fight back to May instead.

Hearn recently revealed Joshua was ready to step in in the event of another postponement.

Boxing news Tyson Fury

But John, speaking to Free Bets, has claimed that won’t be happening with his son committed to the cause.

Previewing Joshua’s upcoming bout with Francis Ngannou, which will take place on March 8, he said: “He’s got to get past Ngannou first which is a tall order.

“He’s a danger man Ngannou, a big dude, fit, strong, and believes in himself.

“He is able, he’s in your face, doesn’t mind a tear up. Joshua has to get past him before he even thinks about stepping in for anybody else.

“And he’s lost to Usyk twice already and if you’ve lost twice, is there going to be that much interest in a third fight?

“It’s only going to be the same thing: Usyk outpointing him.

“People want to see Tyson vs Usyk and Tyson will not be pulling out. I’ll tell you that now.”

John has been called out by numerous stars over the past few weeks.

The likes of Carl Froch, Joe Egan and Chase Demoor have all revealed they’d fancy their chances of facing the 59-year-old.

But John isn’t interested and believes the trio are mentioning his name, as well as Tyson’s, with their own agendas in mind.

“A lot of people have been talking, shouting, screaming, but yet there’s no genuine, written offers have come to my address or to my people,” he said.

“So, listen, they can all shout, they can all scream, but actions speak louder than words. Put the money across, it’s a business and let’s get on with it.

“But they don’t seem to want to do that. They seem to just want to shout and scream, calling me out, trying to embarrass me, which they can’t do.

“They could never embarrass a man like me, because I’ve been through too much.

“To clarify, there have been no written offers, it’s just talk, it’s just nothing, idle chat.”

Boxing news John Fury Tyson Fury

He added: “It’s nothing new and it’s a good point – that’s what they do.

“They think by mentioning me and people paying them a few hundred quid to run a podcast to run me down, ‘Oh, I want to fight John Fury’, ‘I think this, I think that’, you know what, thinking has caused people a lot of problems in life.

“Thinking and doing are two different things and people don’t seem to understand that today do they?

“But you know what, all those people who think they’re hard men, all of them calling me out hear this…

“The way they’ve gone about it is unprofessional, so therefore it’s caused me to have an instant dislike for these people. Therefore, why would I want to make them any money?

Boxing news Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

“What they can do, I’ve got a nice barn at the side of me, all of them that think that I’m bothered about fighting, come down.

“Me and him will walk in the barn and the best man will come out, just me and him.

“We’ll shut the door, we’ll lock ourselves in and the best man will come out of the barn.

“There’s no money, there’s no fame, there’s nothing but a good hiding for them kinds of people.

“That’s if they think they can take me, and I’m telling you they can’t.”

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Fighter who cut Tyson Fury and postponed Oleksandr Usyk fight ‘responds’ with blunt message

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The fighter who was responsible for causing Tyson Fury’s fight-ending cut has reportedly issued a blunt verdict, saying: “I don’t feel bad.”

Fury was scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed world heavyweight title, however, it has since been postponed and will now take place on May 18.

Tyson Fury opens up on 'devastating' gruesome injury as Oleksandr Usyk fight postponed - Manchester Evening News

That is due to the Gypsy King suffering a cut above his eye that required 15 stitches and left wife Paris Fury ‘shaking’.

The man who Fury was fighting in sparring was Argon Smakici – a Croatian boxer and MMA fighter.

According to Boxing Talk, Smakici responded to the fight postponement by telling them: “It was a clear punch so I don’t feel bad.”

Wasserman Boxing on X: "Undefeated Croatian heavyweight Agron Smakici will face Gabriel Enguema on the undercard of @Filip_Hrgovic's WBC International title clash with Amir Mansour on September 8 in Zagreb. 📰 Full

That’s despite Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, stating that it was the Croatian’s elbow that caught his client – and footage of the incident appears to back that up.

As a result of the injury, the fight has been rescheduled for May 18.

Explaining what happened in the incident, Warren explained: “It happened this morning (Friday) in sparring with a Croatian heavyweight who caught his eye with his elbow.

“I can’t tell you how gutted everybody is and I obviously feel for Tyson, I feel for Usyk and I feel sorry for His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and everyone who works at the Riyadh Season because this is an event that we all worked hard to make happen and unfortunately it’s going to be postponed now.”

 

Tyson Fury out of heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk after suffering 'freak cut' in training - Eurosport

Asked if he believes the fight will still happen, Warren said: “Of course I do. It’s what everybody signed up for.

“It’s a huge fight – the biggest fight this century, there’s no doubt about that. It’s the fight that everybody wanted and because of the Riyadh Season, His Excellency and all his team, that’s why the fight is happening and nothing is going to impair it or stop it going on.

“It’s unfortunate where we are but we will make sure that it will occur because it’s the fight that everybody wants to see.”

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Anthony Joshua already lined up next opponent after Francis Ngannou with talks confirmed

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Anthony Joshua has already lined up who he will fight after Francis Ngannou.

Joshua is preparing to take on MMA fighter Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in March, with the Watford-born heavyweight plotting a path to eventually take on Tyson Fury in what would be among the most eagerly anticipated bouts in history.

Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, losing his WBO, IBF, and WBA belts in the process. Since then, Joshua has been on a redemption arc, beating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin as he looks to return to boxing’s summit.

He is now set to take on Ngannou, who controversially lost to Fury in December by split decision.

Should Joshua claim a victory against the MMA’s hardest puncher, however, he may be forced to wait before facing Fury.

Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh – who has been in charge of delivering major boxing events to the Gulf state – admitted that Joshua was in talks to face Croatian Filip Hrgović rather than his compatriot.

When asked if the winner of Joshua vs Ngannou remained in line to fight the victor of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, Turki Alalshikh told SBN: “I’ll tell you a secret – what is in my mind. If Ngannou wins, you know he will have a rematch against the champion [Fury].

Joshua is looking to return to boxing's summit (Getty)

“If Joshua wins, then it will take a long time for the winner of Tyson vs Usyk to face [the 34-year-old] as they’ll have a rematch.

“We’re thinking and discussing with the Joshua camp and [Filip] Hrgović camp, to maybe have a fight between them.”

Fury’s undisputed heavyweight title fight with Usyk has been rearranged for 18 May.

The bout was originally due to take place on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, but it was postponed this week after the Fury suffered a “freak cut” above the eye in training.

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Tyson Fury’s dad in trouble with Mike Tyson as boxing legend discovers Russell Crowe conversation

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Tyson Fury’s dad, John Fury, has been sent a word of warning from Mike Tyson that Joe Egan is “coming for you” due to a conversation he had with Russell Crowe.

Fury Snr had an established boxing career himself with 13 professional bouts to his name.

Heavyweight boxing: 5 best wins of Mike Tyson in his prime

But he’s become a celebrity in his own right as part of his son’s journey to becoming heavyweight world champion.

He’s a regular feature by Fury’s side at every fight and press conference and regularly gets heated with his son’s opponent.

Fury Snr has even called out numerous people throughout the years in an attempt to get back into the boxing ring for a big payday.

The 59-year-old famously called out boxing legend Tyson in October last year ahead of his son’s fight against Francis Ngannou.

It’s not the first time Fury Snr has stated his desire to get into the ring with Iron Mike.

Mike Tyson: Boxing's Legendary Champion - Spartans Boxing Club

The next best thing could be on offer for Fury Snr though with Tyson’s former sparring partner pushing to fight the Englishman.

Egan announced plans to come out of retirement and called out Fury Snr as the person he wanted to fight.

He said: “Hello everyone. I have one last hurrah in me. I haven’t fought in over 20 years.

“John Fury is my friend and he is a good fighting man, same as myself, a good fighting man and I think the two of us would have a great boxing match.

“Out in Saudi let’s show them YouTubers and them Saudi royals how two old warriors can perform.”

Mike Tyson is close friends with Joe Egan
Mike Tyson is close friends with Joe Egan

Fury Snr dismissed the request, replying: “Not interested in talking about those people. Can we move on please?”

But Egan hasn’t given up and enlisted the help of his close friend Tyson to try and elicit a response from Fury Snr.

Tyson said: “John Fury, you’ve got my friend Joe Egan really mad at you, saying you wanted to fight me.

John Fury is a character at his son's press conferences
John Fury is a character at his son’s press conferences

“And he also told me that you told Russell Crowe that he was a fraud. So, Joe Egan is looking for John Fury, okay?

“And if I’m able to see that fight – I hope it’s not in England because I’m a felon, I can’t go to England.

“But he’s coming for you John Fury, for my honor.”

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Anthony Joshua says he won’t ‘repeat the mistake’ Tyson Fury made when fighting Francis Ngannou

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Anthony Joshua lauded Francis Ngannou an ‘inspiration’ and won’t ‘underestimate’ him when the two come face-to-face in an eagerly-anticipated bout in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua has been inspired by Francis Ngannou’s journey – even though he plans to end it in March.

Anthony Joshua celebrates victory following the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena
Anthony Joshua has lauded Francis Ngannou an ‘inspiration’

The British heavyweight star takes on the MMA fighter in a 10-round clash in Saudi Arabia. Joshua, 34, is hoping an impressive knockout can fire up interest in a Tyson Fury showdown after the Gypsy King was almost upset by Ngannou last October.

Cameroon-born Ngannou made it to the top of UFC after travelling as a refugee from Africa to Europe which included harrowing journeys by sea and truck. It’s something which has inspired Joshua. “The journey he has taken,” said ‘AJ’. “He’s a go getter. He is someone who sets a goal and goes and gets it.

Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou’s journey has been hailed by Anthony Joshua

He continued: “To travel across that desert. He said like people that travel across there, they fall off the car, back of the truck and they’re left to die. Think of how many people that you know that have come before you that have tried that same route and you’re going through it. It takes a lot.

“It takes a lot to travel the Mediterranean, the sea, he crossed, it’s a lot man. He said he couldn’t swim either. It is inspiration. It is someone who searched for a better life and he’s doing it in one of the toughest sports, combat sport. He’s a determined person and I find it inspirational.”

Francis Ngannou - Tyson Fury
Ngannou almost shocked the boxing world against Tyson Fury

Ngannou almost stunned the world when he floored Fury on his boxing debut in October before the Gypsy King recovered to edge out a win on points and save embarrassment. It was clear Fury gave the MMA fighter no respect and expected it to be a walkover.

Joshua added: “Would I have underestimated him? No, the problem with me is I train the same for every fight; obviously we train differently, but I do always work hard, so I wouldn’t have underestimated him.

Anthony Joshua celebrates his victory Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia
Anthony Joshua celebrates his victory Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia

“But now I know the guy can fight, I know. There’s no element of surprise, like, ‘He’s gonna be s***, he’s not gonna be able to move, he’s gonna have s*** footwork, his feet are gonna be like he’s stuck in the sand.’ No, he can move, he can come forward, so it’ll be good to see how I deal with that – and how he deals with me as well.”

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Turki Alalshikh: The People Still Want To See Tyson Fury Against Anthony Joshua even If Usyk Wins

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Turki Alalshikh is open to financially backing an Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury fight even if Fury loses twice to Oleksandr Usyk.

The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which has fully funded many of the biggest fights in boxing over the past few months, won’t abandon bouts he believes boxing fans will still want to see even if fighters lose. Alalshikh still sees a way to put together a Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight, which would’ve finally taken place March 8 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh had Joseph Parker not upset Wilder by unanimous decision in their 12-rounder December 23 at Kingdom Arena.

The 42-year-old Alalshikh will take the same approach to Fury-Joshua if Usyk defeats Fury in their heavyweight title unification fight February 17 at Kingdom Arena. England’s Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Ukraine’s Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) have reportedly agreed to a two-fight deal, thus the loser could exercise his right to an immediate rematch later this year.

Unless Fury-Usyk results in a draw or no-contest, the winner would become the sport’s first fully unified heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. If Fury wins, he would need to beat Usyk twice before securing a long-discussed, highly anticipated showdown with Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), who will need to defeat Francis Ngannou (0-1) on March 8 to maintain his place in the Fury fight or even a third fight versus Usyk.

If Cameroon’s Ngannou upsets England’s Joshua, who has opened as a 6-1 favorite to beat the former UFC heavyweight champ, and Fury defeats Usyk, a Fury-Ngannou rematch obviously would become the once-unforeseen fight to make for the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO titles. Ngannou stunningly pushed Fury in his professional boxing debut, during which he floored Fury with a left hook late in the third round, yet lost a 10-round split decision October 28 at Kingdom Arena.

Tyson Fury could be made to 'look a fool' by Oleksandr Usyk if he doesn't make important change

Alalshikh offered his perspective on those potential heavyweight fights during a wide-ranging interview with DAZN’s Ade Oladipo, which was posted to the streaming service’s website and social media platforms Wednesday.

“We want to see Fury-Usyk and the result, and the rematch between Fury [and] Usyk,” Alalshikh said. “And after that, we want to see Tyson Fury against Ngannou, or the people want to see it. And we want to see, if Fury [wins], we want to see him against Joshua if Joshua [wins]. If Usyk [wins], maybe we have [a] chance to have the third fight. And even if Usyk [wins], the people still want to see Tyson against Joshua. This is what we want to deliver to the market. And we close a lot of things about this.”

With strong support from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Alalshikh aggressively has gone about offering the type of purses required to make fights like Fury-Usyk, Fury-Ngannou, Joshua-Ngannou, Joshua-Otto Wallin, Parker-Wilder and Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) against WBO interim champ Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs), the co-feature of the March 8 pay-per-view event that’ll be headlined by Joshua and Ngannou.

Boxing notes: Tyson Fury cashing in with Francis Ngannou fight - Sports Illustrated

“We are coming with new strategy,” Alalshikh said, “and new idea and new vision … to do and deliver to the market the best [fights], with good price, and make the [fights] that people want to see. We don’t want to waste time. Tyson Fury is 35 now, around 35. Joshua is around 33, I think. Usyk [is] around 36, Wilder 38, 37. Artur [Beterbiev] now 39, next week. Why we are losing time?

“The people need to see Joshua-Fury, Fury-Joshua, need to see Joshua-Wilder. And I hope Wilder [comes] back. You know, and there is rumor, and you know it, the fight was between Joshua and Wilder [for March 8]. But you see the result and the body condition of Wilder now. It would not be reasonable to have the fight now. We want him to come back. And I see Parker, what he’s doing, amazing show, and he’s one of the best boxer [who has come back] now, this year.”

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Mike Tyson has an open invitation to do his wonders on Francis Ngannou again after what happened during his boxing debut.

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Francis Ngannou’s coach teases Mike Tyson collaboration for Anthony Joshua fight after boxing legend played key role in Tyson Fury camp

Ngannou shocked the world when he dropped WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and almost caused a monumental upset at the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ last October.

Iron Mike' Tyson to be in Ngannou's corner for Fury fight - Vanguard News

Ahead of the bout, Mike Tyson joined the MMA fighter’s camp and ultimately helped the Cameroonian KO artist push Fury to a controversial split decision.

Dewey Cooper, who combines his job as Ngannou’s striking coach with running Team Combat League, has now explained how the boxing legend came to join their camp and highlighted the main benefit of having him in the gym.

“Mike used to come to my fights, so we’ve been friends for a long time,” Cooper told talkSPORT.com.

“Four years ago, Francis went on Mike Tyson’s podcast, and Francis was talking about fighting Tyson Fury and people like that way back then.

Mike Tyson to train with Francis Ngannou ahead of Tyson Fury boxing match - MMA Fighting

“He made an agreement with Mike Tyson that if he did a boxing fight Mike would have to work his corner because Mike Tyson was so influential in Francis wanting to take this journey.

“Mike had to be a part of it. He trained Francis when he could. He had a very busy schedule. He and I are good friends, so whenever he came in, he took over. It’s Mike Tyson!

“I think the main factor he played, besides the great training and instructions, was the motivation of Francis. When Mike Tyson came to the gym, Francis lit up like a kid on Christmas morning about to open his gifts.”

Ngannou’s performance against Fury earned him another mega-fight against former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua, who he will face in Saudi Arabia on March 8.

Boxing: Mike Tyson on robbery claims in Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou: The real champion of the night was Ngannou | Marca

Cooper expects Tyson to join their camp again and says he is happy to have ‘Iron Mike’ play as big a role as Ngannou wants him to over the next couple of months.

He added: “Whatever way Francis wants Mike Tyson to be involved he will be.

“I love Mike, we go back way before any of this Francis Ngannou–UFC stuff was happening anyway.

“So, I hope he will come through like he did last time and keep implementing his mentality and technique.

“I’m sure he will, but either way, [Ngannou] is going to be prepared and ready to go against Anthony Joshua.”

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