Francis Ngannou‘s new WBC ranking has been revealed following his knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua .
The former UFC star rocketed up to No 10 after he pushed Tyson Fury all the way in a closely-fought contest back in October.
Ngannou was perhaps unlucky not to have his hand raised as the winner in his first fight inside a boxing ring, however it was a different story when he squared up against Joshua earlier this month.
The Brit showed his classed as he knocked Ngannou down in the first round, and twice more in the second to secure a dominant victory.
As a result, Ngannou has plummeted down to 24th in the heavyweight rankings.
Francis Ngannou has dropped from No 10 to 24 in the WBC’s world heavyweight rankings
Ngannou suffered a brutal knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia earlier this year
Joshua meanwhile is No 1, ahead of Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Efe Ajagba and Jared Anderson.
Ngannou after his defeat admitted that he had no memory of the knockout.
Ringside officials moved quickly to administer oxygen to Ngannou, who has since opened up about his knockout while speaking to fans in an Instagram live stream.
‘I was conscious right after [the knockout], and since then everything’s been good,’ he said. ‘I’m still going to run some medical work, just in case.’
The Cameroon-born MMA fighter, who is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League, is keen on making a return to boxing when the time is right.
‘Right now, I don’t know exactly what fight I’ll be looking for next,’ he said.
‘I know that I’m going to take some time to rest up, focus on myself, and then when I’m ready, I will get back to training.
‘It’s not over yet – not at all, We’re just getting started. The only thing that we will miss this year is time, and I think we have some good amount of time ahead of us.’
Ngannou has vowed to return to the boxing ring despite the convincing defeat
Despite his convincing victory in Saudi Arabia, Joshua urged Ngannou to stick with boxing immediately after the fight.
Joshua said: ‘You’re an inspiration. You’d beat a lot of people. Don’t leave boxing – don’t leave.
‘Dewey [Cooper, Ngannou’s head coach] – don’t leave boxing, you know. This guy is the truth.’
Accepting defeat is difficult in any sport, and that is especially the case in boxing where fighters experience such devastating lows after a knockout loss.
Some boxers are able to put it behind them, admit they were second best and aim to come back stronger. But for others it isn’t so easy, and they need to find an excuse for why things went wrong.
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou made the step across to boxing last year and pushed heavyweight king Tyson Fury all the way back in October.
Earlier this month, he got back in the ring to take on Anthony Joshua, but he was dismantled inside two rounds.
The gulf in class was clear for all to see, with Joshua knocking Ngannou down twice before finishing him off with a devastating right hand that left the Cameroonian-born star out cold.
Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou inside two rounds earlier this month
Ngannou has since claimed he was ‘tricked’ into arriving at the venue too early before the fight
There was no shame in losing to a two-time heavyweight champion, but Ngannou reacted to the loss this week, and made some strong accusations about how the night panned out before the fight even got underway.
Ngannou arrived considerably earlier than Joshua to the venue in Saudi Arabia on fight night, and he does not believe this was a coincidence.
‘What I think, something that’s happened is that they get me to the arena very early,’ he told The MMA Hour.
‘Like my pickup time was 10.30pm to go to the arena. And then when we get to the arena, they tell us that we are scheduled around 1.45am.
‘They come to the locker room around 1 and Joshua [was just arriving around 1]. I’m like, “OK, we are fighting at the same time, how come I have a pickup time?” We received a schedule, an email, and then for some reason I was there at least one hour before.
‘But for the fight, at least two hours beforehand. They do this kind of trick to get you tired. I was like cool. I didn’t know how it was, how important that was, until the fight day that I have to get there two hours before.’
It appears a bizarre excuse from Ngannou, and fans are unlikely to be convinced that it played a major role in the result given how one-sided the fight was.
But have there been worse excuses put forward by fighters? Mail Sport has picked out some eyebrow-raising ones from over the years.
Wilder’s ringwalk costume weighs him down
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury battled to a draw in December 2018, and they faced each other again 14 months later to settle their differences.
But the February 2020 rematch turned into a one-sided beating, with Fury sending Wilder to the canvas twice before the American’s corner threw the towel in during the seventh round.
Many observers put Fury’s superiority down to his more aggressive approach the second time around, but Wilder felt differently.
He wore a 40lb costume to the ring for the rematch, and insisted that this led to his below-par performance.
‘He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way too heavy for me,’ Wilder told Yahoo.
‘I didn’t have no legs from the beginning of the fight. In the third round, my legs were just shot all the way through.’
Wilder also accused Fury of cheating by putting ‘something hard’ in his gloves and demanded a third fight with the Gypsy King.
He got his wish but was stopped again, this time in the 11th round.
Deontay Wilder wore a 40lb costume to the ring for his second fight with Tyson Fury
Fury went on to dominate Wilder, and the American blamed his pre-fight costume
Foreman’s friend betrayal
Sticking with heavyweights, and let’s move on to arguably the biggest fight in history – The Rumble in the Jungle.
Not many pundits gave Muhammad Ali a chance of reclaiming the heavyweight crown against the heavy-hitting George Foreman in 1974, but Ali deployed his iconic ‘rope-a-dope’ tactics to tire the bigger man out before finishing him in the seventh round.
Foreman struggled to come to terms with losing his unbeaten record and later wrote in his autobiography that he had lost concentration during the fight after seeing one of his friends cheering for Ali at ringside.
Years later, Foreman admitted to regretting his use of excuses, and he and Ali became close friends prior to the latter’s death in 2016.
After an extended break from boxing, Foreman made a comeback and won the heavyweight title again in 1994 when he knocked out Michael Moorer at the age of 45.
He remains the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
George Foreman initially blamed his loss to Muhammad Ali on seeing a friend cheering for Ali at ringside, and claiming this caused him to lose concentration
Froch floored by volcanic ash cloud
Let’s take a little break from the big men and move down to super-middleweight.
Back in April 2010, Carl Froch was due to take on Mikkel Kessler in Denmark, but an Icelandic volcano erupting caused doubts over whether the fight would go ahead.
Flights were cancelled due to the ash cloud from the eruption, but Froch did manage to get over to Northern Europe before losing to Kessler on points.
Reflecting on the defeat, Froch claimed he took his eye off the ball as he thought the fight was going to be called off.
‘I should have been better if that volcano hadn’t put up all that ash in the air. My flight was cancelled so I had a barbeque and ate some burgers and fizz pop,’ he told the Evening Standard.
‘But the day before the weigh-in, I found out they’d put a private jet on for me so I thought, “Sod it, I’ll go”. So I spent the night before in a red-hot bath trying to sweat off the weight and replicate a sauna. It left me a little bit drained but I went in thinking I could get him with just one shot.’
That was Froch’s first professional loss, but he exacted revenge three years later, and this time there were no planes for him to catch as he won a unanimous decision at London’s O2 Arena.
A volcano erupted in Iceland in 2010, causing a giant ash cloud that led to flights being cancelled
The eruption led to Carl Froch arriving late for his fight in Denmark, and he subsequently lost to Mikkel Kessler
Haye hampered by broken toe
David Haye campaigned for a fight against one of the Klitschko brothers for years, and even wore a shirt with their severed heads on the front to goad them.
Finally, he got his opportunity to face Wladimir Klitschko in 2011 as the two heavyweights put their titles on the line in a unification clash.
It promised to be the biggest heavyweight fight in years but proved to be a damp squib as Klitschko jabbed and grabbed his way to a points win while Haye offered little in return.
After talking the talk in the build-up, it may have been wise for Haye to keep a low profile in the immediate aftermath, but he opted to try to explain his disappointing performance straight away.
‘I couldn’t push on my right leg. Something happened in training and I didn’t want to pull out,’ he said. ‘I broke my toe on my right foot. I couldn’t push off the right foot to throw the right hand.
‘I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It’s incredibly frustrating.’
Haye even got up on a table in his post-fight press conference to show his injury, but received little sympathy.
He suffered more significant injuries in the latter stages of his career, and finally decided to hang up his gloves after successive defeats by domestic rival Tony Bellew in 2017 and 2018.
David Haye claimed he broke his little toe in the build-up to his fight with Wladimir Klitschko
Haye’s excuse came after he was outpointed by Klitschko in Hamburg, Germany
AJ is just TOO heavy
There are actually some similarities between how the Klitschko vs Haye fight played out and Anthony Joshua’s first fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
On both occasions, the Ukrainians outboxed the cautious Brits to pick up deserved wins, but neither were thrilling spectacles.
But Joshua got something that Haye didn’t – a shot at redemption.
Eleven months after losing his titles to Usyk, Joshua fought him again in Saudi Arabia in August 2022. Despite an improved display, Joshua still lost and he could not contain his frustration afterwards.
AJ gave a passionate and bizarre speech inside the ring, which included responding to why he had become reluctant to throw combinations and had started to rely on single shots instead.
‘I’m not a 12-round fighter… I’m 18 stone, I’m heavy!’ Joshua told the bemused crowd.
Joshua has since won his last four fights and looks back to his best, throwing punches in bunches to topple his opponents.
And his weight for those fights? Around the 18 stone mark.
Anthony Joshua took the microphone after losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time, and claimed he was not a 12-round fighter because he was too heavy
Paul’s wet dream
Crossover fights have gained popularity in recent years, and Jake Paul’s bout with Tommy Fury really captured the public’s imagination in February 2023.
Paul knocked Fury down late on, but the YouTuber was outboxed for the majority of the contest and lost on points.
A couple of weeks later he went on his YouTube show ImPaulsive to explain how he fell short, and came up with an excuse that has surely never been heard before.
‘I f***ed myself – literally – over,’ he said. ‘I don’t actually even remember the dream. I literally woke up in a panic, like, “f***, f***, f***, f***”. I was like, “Oh my god”.
‘You have two weeks of testosterone built up and so the reason a wet dream happens is because your body needs to release that energy, it knows in your mind, “this is not good”. I f***ed myself.
‘But yeah it makes your legs weak. For the viewers, that’s why it’s bad, it makes your legs weak.’
Paul also blamed illness, injuries and being jet-lagged for his loss, and has called for a rematch with Fury. He is yet to receive it.
Jake Paul claimed that a wet dream before his fight with Tommy Fury cost him
Paul lost to Fury in their huge clash last year, and gave a host of excuses afterwards
Tyson’s broken back
Time to finish with a classic, and this excuse from Mike Tyson came after he won!
Eight months after losing to Lennox Lewis, Tyson returned to the same venue in Memphis in February 2003 to exorcise his demons, and he beat Clifford Etienne in just 49 seconds.
Speaking in the ring after the fight, American commentator Jim Gray sensed that all was not quite right with Tyson and asked him if he had felt unwell in the lead up to the fight.
Tyson replied: ‘I broke my back! My back is broken.’
Gray seemed stunned by the revelation and tried to gain more information by asking what part of his back was broken.
Mike Tyson knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds in 2003 and proceeded to reveal that he had broken his back before the fight
Quick as a flash, Tyson shot back: ‘Spinal!’
He went on to reveal that he had injured himself in a motorcycle accident, but still decided to go ahead with the fight after cancelling previous fights.
His victory over Etienne proved to be his final triumph as he lost his last two fights before retiring in 2005.
Tyson had a spell of being wheelchair-bound due to sciatica – a condition that often starts from the lower back – after retirement, but he is now set for a shock return to the ring at the age of 58 to take on Jake Paul in July.
Jake Paul got into it with Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat just days before his next scheduled fight.
Jake Paul got into a physical altercation with Neeraj Goyat just days before his next scheduled fight.
The 8-1 boxer was the biggest talking point in boxing at one stage but his stock appears to have dropped following a split decision loss to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February 2023.
Paul has bounced back with wins over Nate Diaz and Andre August but the hype surrounding him is nowhere near the same level.
The Problem Child’s next bout sees him come up against Ryan Bourland in the co-main event on the Amanda Serrano vs Nina Meinke card in Puerto Rico this weekend.
Under his Most Valuable Promotions umbrella, Paul will compete in his current home of Puerto Rico for the first time.
But while Bourland is his scheduled opponent, the 27-year-old clashed with Goyat in a video which has circulated on social media.
The clip, which was shared by Paul, sees the Indian boxer get out of a car and approach him outside his gym while he was with Serrano.
The two exchanged verbals, with Paul telling him he “respects him for showing up man to man” but that “he doesn’t want to fight”.
Image: Getty
Goyat accused the former Disney star of abusing him in his language, telling him: “Jake Paul, I’m the man of my word. I’m here. I’m in your country. I’m here in your town. I’m here at your gym, man. Now abuse… You using translate application and you abusing in Indian language. Now abuse.”
In the end, Goyat briefly put his hands on Paul and the two had to be separated.
After a bit of back and forth on social media in the past, many fans felt the video was a rehearsed skit to set up a future fight.
Image: Getty
And Paul has already expressed his interest in facing Goyat, 18-4-2 professionally, in his home country of India.
Speaking at a DAZN press conference last month, Paul said: “Neeraj has made some noise. You know, his callout video got 25 million views. He’s India’s biggest and best boxer.
“So, it is interesting to me and I think it could be fun to go over to India and knock him out in his home country. Maybe one day, but we’ll see.”
Vitali Klitschko gives Tyson Fury advice ahead of his fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
Vitali Klitschko has brutally told Tyson Fury what he needs to do to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
WBC title holder Fury meets WBO, WBA (super) and IBF champion Usyk on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury suffered a nasty cut in training which stopped them from fighting last month.
After the postponement, footage surfaced online of the incident that led to the devastating cut.
Both fighters have agreed to forfeit a whopping £10 million if they withdraw from their upcoming clash.
Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter exposes Tyson Fury on Instagram Live with old social media post
Credit: Instagram/@alex.krassyuk
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Ahead of Fury facing Usyk, Klitschko has given the British star advice on how to beat the Ukrainian fighter.
Speaking to filmmaker Andrew Drury, the 52-year-old joked Fury must stay off junk food, alcohol and drugs.
The former world heavyweight champion said: “Not so much junk food, no alcohol, no drugs and good prepare for this fight.”
Fury ballooned up in weight during his hiatus from boxing.
But he turned his life around and beat Deontay Wilder to become world champion.
The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ has the chance to secure undisputed status in the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk pose for photos at their pre-fight press conference. Image: Getty
On Fury vs. Usyk, Klitschko, who held the WBC world heavyweight title during his legendary career, added: “Everybody expect very dramatic interesting fight, but nobody in the world can predict the decision of this fight. It’s heavyweight division, every punch make a decision.
“And that’s why it will be biggest mistake to say who will be the winner. Yes, of course I keep my fingers crossed for Usyk.
“I hope Usyk will be winner in this fight and bring WBC belt back to Ukraine. But let’s see.”
Fury heads into his clash with Usyk having eked out a controversial decision victory over former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou last October.
As for Usyk, he hasn’t fought since last August when he stopped Daniel Dubois.
Anthony Joshua and John Fury bumped into each other in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua bumped into John Fury in Saudi Arabia as they exchanged words ahead of the star fighter’s showdown against Francis Ngannou.
Joshua faces Ngannou this FRIDAY in a monstrous heavyweight clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
‘AJ’ returns to action having destroyed Otto Wallin in his last outing. He delivered a masterful performance to stop the Swede in the fifth round.
As for ‘The Predator’, he makes his second walk to a boxing ring following his valiant showing against Tyson Fury. He dropped the ‘Gypsy King’ but lost a controversial decision.
Ahead of Joshua and Ngannou coming face-to-face, the former world heavyweight champion bumped into ‘Big’ John, who is also in the Middle East to support his son Roman, who fights on the undercard.
And Joshua and John had a warm embrace as they exchanged words. Check it out below:
What Anthony Joshua said to John Fury
Credit: Matchroom Boxing
Joshua said to John: “How are you? I have watched everything you have said.”
Tyson’s father responded with an awkward laugh before being stunned at the size of the fighter.
“He is a f**king big fella, isn’t he?” He joked.
Joshua replied: “It is land of the giants, isn’t it? The heavyweight division is changing up.”
John has been very opinionated ahead of Joshua vs. Ngannou as well as his son’s undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
The 59-year-old believes Joshua cannot afford to look past the former UFC heavyweight champion, with a fight against the winner of Fury vs. Usyk seemingly on the line.
“He’s got to get past Ngannou first which is a tall order,” he told Free Bets.
“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.”
Tyson Fury clashed with Francis Ngannou and exchanged words.
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou clashed in a ‘bizarre’ altercation ahead of the latter’s fight against Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou takes on Joshua on Friday in the second boxing bout of his budding career.
And former foe Fury has arrived in Saudi Arabia to support his brother Roman Fury, who fights on the undercard.
The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ will also be ringside for the main-event showdown between Joshua and Ngannou.
The winner is in line to meet the winner of Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
What Anthony Joshua said to John Fury
Credit: Matchroom Boxing
The WBC title holder could run it back with the former UFC heavyweight king following their October fight, which he won in controversial fashion.
Ahead of a potential rematch, Fury and Ngannou clashed as they posed for a picture with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh.
That’s according to Andy Lee, who told iFL TV: “It is a bizarre thing. Anthony Joshua’s on one side, Tyson’s here.
“Then Ngannou came in and Tyson pulled him up straight away.
“He said, ‘Hey you, you’ve been talking about me in interviews, saying I’m a coward, calling me a yellow belly’.
“But Ngannou in fairness was quite cool and calm and went, ‘No I didn’t say that’.
“Tyson went, ‘You did. I beat you, I beat you’.
“Ngannou said, ‘No, no, no. I didn’t say that’.
“Tyson said, ‘What does your record say?’
“Then Tyson said, ‘You take care of your man, I’ll take care of mine and I’ll give it to you again’.
“He put it on him for a bit, it was interesting.”
FURY CLASHES WITH NGANNOU ‼️ All was clearly not as it seemed when Tyson Fury & Francis Ngannou came face-to-face last night 🍿🍿🍿 #JoshuaNgannou | #KnockoutChaos | #TysonFury
Asked if Joshua and promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren saw the exchange between Fury and Ngannou, Lee replied: “They were there.
“And I was chatting to Tyson at the time and then there was Ngannou.
“I had a bottle of water, Joe’s water, in my hand. I said, ‘Joe, you better hold this’.
“Because I was worried about Tyson and his eye because his eye is still healing.
“But nothing came of it. Tyson probably had to do that because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself unless he pulled him up for saying what he said.
“I respected him for doing it, Tyson.
“And I respected Ngannou because it wasn’t like he sh*t himself, or backed down, or apologised. He just stood his ground.”
“I think there’s something going on… I’m thinking about quitting!”
He may be the interim UFC heavyweight champion but Tom Aspinall was miles away from matching Francis Ngannou’s record-breaking score on the PowerKube machine.
Ngannou, who will take on Anthony Joshua in a highly-anticipated boxing bout on Friday night, is renowned for having one of the world’s most powerful punches.
In fact, when he visited the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, the Cameroon-born fighter broke the record for the hardest punch ever, measuring 129,161 units on a PowerKube.
Beating the record previously held by kickboxer Tyrone Spong, Ngannou’s punch registered a speed power of 51,064 foot-pounds per second, which is said to be equal to the horsepower of a family car.
Mike Tyson Teaching Francis Ngannou How To Fight Tyson Fury
The Baddest Man on the Planet giving some pointers to the UFC heavyweight champion. Credit: Mike Tyson/Francis Ngannou
Ahead of his rematch with Stipe Miocic in 2021, UFC president Dana White explained why being hit by ‘The Predator’ is like being struck by a speeding vehicle.
“Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch,” White told talkSPORT.
“His punches are equivalent to 96 horsepower. That’s equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can and it’s more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full force overhead.”
So how did Aspinall get on when he decided to hit the PowerKube?
The Salford-born fighter, who is currently 14-3-0, uploaded the results to his YouTube channel Tom Aspinall Official, although he wasn’t exactly impressed by his efforts.
After registering a top score of 45,000, he joked: “No, he can’t have got 129,000. If [Ngannou] did 129,000 and I did 40,000, that is ridiculous stuff. I think there’s something going on then, I’m thinking about quitting.”
Tom Aspinall attempts to break Francis Ngannou’s punching machine score of 129,000. Tom proceeds to get a score of 45,000. “If [Ngannou] did 129,000 and I did 40,000, that is ridiculous stuff. I think there’s something going on then, I’m thinking about quitting!” 😂 🎥 YT /…
Joe Rogan recorded an impressive score of 151,000 on the PowerKube when he visited the UFC Performance Institute.
The 56-year-old threw a series of heavy leg kicks on the machine alongside Muay Thai champion Joe Schilling. In fact, the former amateur kickboxer recorded a higher score than Schilling.
He later spoke about his experience at the UFC Performance Institute on the JRE MMA Show podcast, and compared his score to Francis Ngannou.
“I think [Ngannou] got 120-something,” Rogan said. “129, that’s so crazy. That’s what I get with a kick — with legs that carry you around all day. He got 129,161 with a punch, I got 152,000.”
Jake Paul’s manager has fired back at Eddie Hearn’s criticism of the 27-year-old’s upcoming fight with Mike Tyson.
Jake Paul’s manager has fired back at Eddie Hearn’s criticism of the 27-year-old’s upcoming fight with Mike Tyson.
On Thursday it was announced that YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul would be fighting former Heavyweight champion Tyson in Texas on July 20, in an event that will be broadcast on Netflix.
It is unclear if it will be an official fight or an exhibition bout, with Tyson, 30 years Paul’s senior, having last competed in a professional contest back in 2005.
Paul, who beat Ryan Bourland in his 10th professional fight on Saturday, will be coming up against a man who became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at 20 when he beat Trevor Berbick in 1986.
That was Tyson’s 28th professional fight since making his debut in 1985 aged 18. He had won 26 of them by knockout.
Announcing the fight, Paul said on X: “My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put Iron Mike to sleep.”
However, the upcoming bout has drawn criticism from Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who labelled the affair as “really sad.”
Hearn told Mail Sport: “For me, it’s really sad because Mike Tyson was one of my idols growing up, and to see him fighting at 57, 58… but I also understand that a lot of people are going to tune in and watch.
Eddie Hearn has criticised Jake Paul’s upcoming bout with Mike Tyson (Getty)
“It’s an entertainment event, Netflix, great to see them involved in boxing. I think it will do really well. But it’s just not really one for me.”
Naturally, Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian has since responded to Hearn’s criticism, by labelling the Briton as a “hypocrite”.
Bidarian said via TalkSPORT: “It’s incredibly ironic and, as usual, hypocritical of Eddie Hearn to talk negatively about another event.
“Eddie was standing between Manny Pacquiao, a very small-statured 45-year-old man, and his next opponent, a 27-year-old Matchroom fighter who has had issues getting licensed in the UK to box again. It’s incredibly sad.
“He spends more time speaking about other people’s business than he does tending his own.”
Jake Paul will fight Mike Tyson in Arlington, Texas on July 20.
Jake Paul has revealed the moment he stopped idolising Mike Tyson after an embarrassing mix-up from the heavyweight boxing legend.
Paul, 27, stunned the boxing world on Thursday by announcing that he will face Tyson, 57, in his next fight after extending his professional record to 9-1 with victory over Ryan Bourland earlier this month.
Paul and Tyson with face each other on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in what will be the main event of a card that will air on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.
It will be Tyson’s first fight since his draw with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition boxing match in 2020.
His last professional bout came back in 2005 against Kevin McBridge, when he was stopped in two rounds.
The announcement of his return to the ring has divided opinion, with a number of high-profile pundits criticising Paul for his choice of opponent.
UFC legend Michael Bisping has described Paul as a “laughing stock”, while Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn labelled the match-up “incredibly sad”.
Nevertheless, Paul has vowed to put Tyson “to sleep” when they meet in the ring this summer.
Taking to X, Paul says he viewed former undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson as one of his biggest heroes up until meeting him in person.
“I idolised Mike Tyson until the first time I met him 4 years ago…he called me Logan. Going to make sure he knows who I am real close and personal,” wrote Paul.
Paul has also confirmed the fight won’t be a regular pay-per-view event and will be available to all Netflix subscribers without an additional fee.
It will be the streaming giant’s first live combat sports broadcast and only its third live sporting event overall.
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s promotional company Most Valuable Promotions, believes the event has the potential to break all-time boxing records.
“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and I anticipate it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” Bidarian said.
Francis Ngannou leaked his final UFC payslip ahead of his blockbuster fight with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua and Ngannou go head-to-head in Saudi Arabia on Friday evening, with the former entering the fight having secured three wins from as many bouts in 2023.
Meanwhile, Ngannou made his boxing debut in October, flooring heavyweight champion Tyson Fury before losing a controversial decision.
The 37-year-old will aim to put things right this weekend against Joshua, a former two-time unified champion.
While Joshua and Ngannou’s respective earnings for the fight have not been made public, a Sports Business Journal article claimed that Joshua will make $50million (£39million) and Ngannou will earn $20million (£15.6million) when not factoring in pay-per-view points.
Francis Ngannou lands massive blow on punch machine
Credit: Francis Ngannou
That’s a significantly higher fee than what Ngannou made in his last UFC fight.
The Cameroonian, who was a reigning UFC champion at the time of his departure from the promotion, claimed he earned just $600,000 (£468,084) from his last fight against Ciryl Gain.
Indeed, in 2021, upon being crowned UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou only had one fight remaining on his contract with the promotion and chose not to sign an extension.
In turn, Ngannou earned a relatively measly sum before entering free agency.
“You were talking earlier about the contract that I turned down,” Ngannou said to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on their show Pound 4 Pound. “You knew a lot about the stuff that I turned down from the UFC negotiation with my last fight in the UFC.
“I took $600,000 for my last fight in the UFC as opposed to $5million that they were offering for the same fight. And I was broke. At the time I owed [Kamaru] Usman $200,000. I was broke. It’s true!”
After beating Gane, Ngannou turned down another offer that would have seen him earn “around” $8million (£6.24million) for a Jon Jones fight.
Instead, he entered free agency and signed a lucrative partnership deal with PFL which also allowed him to pursue boxing.
