Mike Tyson has admitted that he would ‘like to’ coach Francis Ngannou ahead of his blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury.
The mixed martial arts star will make his debut in the boxing ring against the WBC heavyweight champion in a ten-round fight in Saudi Arabia on October 28.
Ngannou, who has never been beaten in his UFC career, has earned his reputation in fight sports as a hard hitter having scored devastating knock-out wins against the likes of Alistair Overeem, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Stipe Miocic.
And while he is one of the most revered fighters in the world, ‘The Predator’ has previously admitted that he would be seeking some advice from Tyson, in a bid to help him prepare for his bout against Fury.
‘I think getting some advice or some training from Mike Tyson would be good,’ the 36-year-old said to TMZ Sports.
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‘I also think of somebody like Lennox Lewis who could be good.
‘I love his boxing style, very basic but very sharp and efficient. One-two [punches], all that stuff, classic but very good.
‘Yes, one of those guys. We are definitely reaching out.’
The fight itself has attracted much scrutiny with some branding it a ‘Mickey Mouse’ fight while others including Carl Froch had also slammed the crossover fight as an ‘absolute load of s***’.
While it will be interesting to see how the MMA fighter gets on against the Gypsy King, Fury is the favourite to win by a long margin.
But former unified heavy weight champion, Tyson, dismissed claims that Ngannou could be beaten by fury, emphasising that he has a very strong punch.
‘I think anything is possible. He has a hard punch,’ the boxing hall of famer said to ES News.
When asked whether he would be interested in coaching Ngannou
“I would like to do that, yeah. That would be cool. I like that,” Tyson added when the prospect of him training ‘The Predator’ was brought up.
Ngannou
‘I think getting some advice or some training from Mike Tyson would be good,’ he told TMZ Sports.
‘I also think of somebody like Lennox Lewis who could be good. I love his boxing style, very basic but very sharp and efficient. One-two [punches], all that stuff, classic but very good.
‘Yes, one of those guys. We are definitely reaching out.’
It comes after the former unified heavyweight champion had previously given the MMA star a lesson in how to fight the Gypsy King back in 2020.
In a video published online, the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of the sport can be seen delivering a masterclass to Ngannou on how to handle his upcoming opponent.
