WASHINGTON D.C. — Francis Ngannou tipped Mike Tyson to destroy Jake Paul when they trade leather November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Ngannou and Tyson trained together for one camp ahead of the former UFC heavyweight king’s boxing debut against Tyson Fury last year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Though Ngannou looked one-paced during workouts World Boxing News attended in Las Vegas during the build-up to the crossover fight, he seemed to have bamboozled everybody, including Fury, when he boxed far quicker and more competently October 28, 2023, to shake up the combat sports world when he knocked the Brit to the floor, albeit en route to a split decision loss.
Ngannou returned the following March to take on Anthony Joshua but got destroyed inside two rounds in one of the most spectacular thrashings AJ had ever administered.
An October return to MMA is on the cards as he debuts for the rising organization Professional Fighters League (PFL) against Renan Ferreira.
At a press conference in Washington D.C., World Boxing News asked Ngannou about the lessons he learned from Tyson ahead of his two-fight stint in boxing and whether he could apply any of that to his striking in MMA.
“I did train with Mike Tyson, and that was for one fight, my fight against Tyson Fury,” he told WBN. “Boxing is a completely different sport to mixed martial arts … the application of everything.
“It’s very hard to take something,” he considered. “Yes, maybe you can get some speed, some clarity on your target. That will help you in MMA.”
Tyson suffered a medical emergency mid-flight in May, raising concerns about his health ahead of a high-profile fight with Paul, who is 31 years younger than he is.
Speaking later to reporters, Ngannou, regardless, picked Tyson to “beat” the PFL ambassador’s “a**” when they competed in an eight-rounder the following month, unconcerned about health or age differentials.
“He’s definitely not as he was when he was young, but when he moves around and shows you something, I’m like, ‘What the hell is this.’ So I think that is something that people don’t understand about Mike Tyson. His footwork is still there.”
On an asset that could befuddle Paul, Ngannou said: “He can still move from your left to your right in the blink of an eye.”
The Ngannou vs Ferreira fight tops a PFL PPV Super Fight Division fight card in October, and it’s a part of the PFL universe that Paul was brought in to help build, and champion.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
