Will Mike Tyson corner Francis Ngannou for Tyson Fury boxing match? Here’s what the former UFC star said on the issue

Francis Ngannou is set to make his professional boxing debut when he faces Tyson Fury in an exhibition bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this weekend. The former UFC heavyweight champion will have the legendary former WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in his corner.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, 'The Predator' revealed how the pairing came to be, stating:

"Since the first time that I met him four years ago - I think it was July 2019 - from that very first time, I made the request for him to be in my corner if ever and whenver I fight Tyson Fury and he accepted and then we stayed in touch. I've been on his podcast a couple times after that and then we stayed in touch. We got in a couple occasions we had to meet and talk, but never about this fight until it became real four months ago and I made a call."

Helwani then asked if Tyson will be in his corner on Saturday, leading Ngannou to respond:

"Yeah. I have Dewey Cooper. I have Eric Nicksick. I have John M'Bumba from France. He's a boxing coach."

Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on Mike Tyson below:

Ngannou was then asked if he believes his opponent is annoyed that the man he is named after will be in his corner, responding that it is Fury's problem. While many have not given the former UFC heavyweight champion much of a chance, he will have one of the greatest heavyweights of all time in his corner as he looks to shock the world this weekend.

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Mike Tyson shares how Francis Ngannou can beat Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou became the first reigning UFC champion to leave the promotion since B.J. Penn in 2004. He is set to receive the biggest payday of his combat sports career when he faces Tyson Fury in a boxing match this weekend. Mike Tyson, who will corner 'The Predator' for the bout, shared how he can beat the WBC heavyweight champion.

During a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, the International Boxing Hall of Famer stated:

"He just needs to go all out aggression, punching to the body, bringing it to the head as we've been working with. He’s moving his head, he’s getting it together, and he’s really determined to do this stuff. He really wants to do this for his country, his people, his patriotic pride. This is really interesting. I’m very ecstatic about doing this."

Check out Mike Tyson's comments on Francis Ngannou below:

Tyson noted that Fury was dropped by a much smaller Steve Cunningham earlier in his career despite having a 44-pound weight advantage. He claimed that 'The Gypsy King' has never faced an opponent that hits as hard as Ngannou, who has the world's most powerful recorded punch.