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UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou didn’t back down after being called out by Tyson Fury.
One of the top heavyweight professional boxers in the world today, Tyson Fury has never shied away from speaking his mind against his fellow boxing rivals. Similarly, Fury is also known for often taking jibes at fighters competing in combat sports other than boxing as well.
On that note, 'The Gypsy King' took to Twitter and asserted that once he’s done beating fellow pro boxing heavyweight star Anthony Joshua, he’ll ‘roast’ Francis Ngannou too.
Not one to back down, Ngannou fired back at Fury by referencing the boxer’s September 2019 fight against Otto Wallin. Fury had come dangerously close to losing that fight due to a cut above his eye, but he ended up going the distance and winning via unanimous decision.
Tyson Fury’s tweet read as follows – “.@MikeTyson after I smash @anthonyjoshua I’ll roast that guy also. @francis_ngannou easy work.”
Francis Ngannou’s tweet, in response to Fury’s jibe, read – “If this guy did this to you, what do you think I would do?”
Tyson Fury is the current WBC, The Ring and the lineal heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua is the reigning WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight champion.
The Gypsy King and AJ are widely regarded as two of the top heavyweights and are heralded amongst the biggest names in professional boxing today. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are expected to fight one another later this year.
This potential matchup is believed to be incredibly significant with regard to what it would mean for boxing. That’s because the winner of this fight would be crowned as the first undisputed boxing heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis. The legendary Lewis last held the undisputed title in April 2000.
Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou recently captured the UFC heavyweight title by defeating Stipe Miocic in their rematch. Ngannou stopped Miocic via second-round KO at UFC 260 (March 2021).
Francis Ngannou has tasted defeat, whereas Tyson Fury remains undefeated in professional combat sports competition
One of the tenets of combat sports is that anyone can be beaten. That said, an undefeated professional combat sports record, particularly in the sport of boxing, is deemed to be a high-value asset by promoters and fighters alike.
Legendary pugilists like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Tyson Fury are known for their undefeated records, with which comes an aura of invincibility and top-tier box office brand value. Fury’s professional boxing record currently stands at 30 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw.
On the contrary, Francis Ngannou has been on the losing side of combat sports contests in the sport of MMA. Ngannou has a professional MMA record of 16 wins and 3 losses. The Predator suffered a unanimous decision loss early in his career against Zoumana Cisse at 100% Fight: Contenders 21 (December 2013).
Francis Ngannou’s next loss came via unanimous decision in his first fight against Miocic at UFC 220 (January 2018). This was followed by Ngannou losing via unanimous decision to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 (July 2018).
The consensus is that should a crossover fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou come to fruition, it will likely take place under professional boxing rules.
