Mike Tyson shared an inside look at his training camp with Francis Ngannou ahead of the UFC star’s fight with Tyson Fury.
Ngannou takes on Fury on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the Gypsy King returns to the ring for the first time since defeating Derek Chisora in December 2022.
Making his boxing debut after being released from the UFC in June, Ngannou has enlisted the help of one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
The 36-year-old will have Tyson in his corner as Iron Mike gears up the former UFC champion for the fight.
Tyson shared a glimpse of him training the PFL star as he put him to the test in new footage.
Mike Tyson (right) shared a look at his training camp with Francis Ngannou
Iron Mike prepares former UFC champion Ngannou (right) for his duel against Tyson Fury
The clip, taken from the first day of training camp, begins with Tyson telling a tired Ngannou, “You know this is just the beginning. Do you hear me, Francis? This is just the beginning.’
The boxing legend then steps in and punches the pads to show Ngannou how it’s done. The former UFC star is copying his trainer, and while he’s considerably slower, he still seems to pack a punch.
Tyson can be heard in the background advising Ngannou to relax his arms before saying some words of encouragement.
Tyson shared the clip with a simple caption that fired off a warning to Fury, writing: “We’re just getting started @francis_ngannouremember that.’
Ngannou announced in early August that he had brought Tyson to his camp to help him train, calling it the best decision.
“Bringing Mike Tyson to my training camp is one of the best decisions I can make in preparation for Tyson Fury in the ring during this year’s Riyadh season,” said Ngannou.
“Mike Tyson is an idol of mine in sports. His experience and boxing IQ will be important to hone my technique under his guidance to win this super fight.
“I’ve been longing for this fight for years and now that it’s here I’m focusing on fighting the biggest fight of my career and shocking the world on the most epic stage in front of the fans in Riyadh. On October 28, the world will know who the ‘worst man in the world’ is.’
Ngannou – who had an extremely impressive UFC record of 17-3 – is being trained by Tyson
Fury hasn’t set foot in the ring since beating Derek Chisora in December 2022 in London
Tyson recently gave his opinion on the fight, claiming that Ngannou can punch harder than anyone Fury has fought in his career.
“Tyson Fury was dropped early in his career by a little guy (Steve Cunningham),” he told Jim Rome.
“This guy (Ngannou) hits like God knows who, he moves faster, I worked with his speed.
“Listen man, he only needs to land one or two, Tyson has never been in the ring with a guy who can punch that hard.
“I think this guy hits harder than anyone he’s ever fought.”
Experienced with hard hitters, the Gypsy King fights notorious power puncher Deontay Wilder three times, with Fury hitting the canvas four times in the trilogy.
Ngannou has a record of 17 wins and three losses in the UFC, with 12 knockouts, but Wilder failed to KO Fury in all of their fights, which bodes well for the Gypsy King.
On the Predator, Tyson insisted, “He just has to go out of his way to do aggression, hit him on the body, on the head, like we’ve been working on.”
“He’s moving his head, he’s putting everything in order, and he’s really determined to do this.”
Tyson, pictured with wife Lakiha Spicer at the US Open this week, joined the fight
Fury is undoubtedly the favorite in the fight, but Tyson hinted at a result that could shake the martial arts community to its core.
“He really wants to do this for his country and his people, it’s patriotic pride. I’m very excited about this,” said Tyson.
He even concluded, “It would be a bigger disappointment if Buster Douglas versus Mike Tyson.”
Douglas famously shocked the world with a 10th-round KO of Mike Tyson in 1990 in a bout widely regarded as the greatest upset in boxing history.