Francis Ngannou is set to face Anthony Joshua this Friday, but the intensity of his verbal jabs was directed at a different adversary during the press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Notably, boxing sensation Tyson Fury was seated in the front row as the discussion turned to their October 2023 bout. Ngannou, a former UFC champion now competing in PFL, faced Fury in his boxing debut, experiencing defeat but making a significant impact with the sole knockdown in Round 3. During the press conference, Ngannou labeled their encounter as a victory, sparking a heated exchange between him and Fury.
“[Joshua] will be the best [win] so far, but as I said, I’m just getting started. “I’m really looking for the victory Friday night but I don’t think that will be making any statement of my career because the road is still long and I’m really intending to gain a lot of major victories like this.“One over Tyson—one more over Tyson because I had the first one over him and I’m intending to have the second one. He’s been b******* about it, which is true.”
Although the exact words Fury used were unclear in the broadcast, his response spurred Ngannou to vehemently counter. Fury persisted in taunting Ngannou, alluding to a potential confrontation during fight week. In response, Ngannou issued a stern warning to Fury.“You’re going to sleep in the [ring] again and I’m going to wipe the ring with your ass again. “You wiped the ring with your ass, that was the blood in the ring sticking to your pants.”
“I tell you, your only chance is in the ring with the boxing rules,” Ngannou said. “When you step off of that ring, you better stay five meters away before you talk your s*** because if I lose it, you’re going to have a really bad time, my friend.
“Respect the fact that boxing is protecting us and the rules of boxing are protecting us because without that, you are nothing in front of me. I would beat you every day, twice on Sunday.”
Drawing from his extensive UFC experience, where he held a 12-2 record and claimed the heavyweight title, Ngannou is now eyeing boxing success by challenging Joshua. The winner of their bout is anticipated to face the victor of the May 18 clash between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Witness the intense exchange between Ngannou and Fury in the video below.
🍿@francis_ngannou and @Tyson_Fury are GOING AT IT#JoshuaNgannou Press Conference 👉 https://t.co/Tyik8OpyMR#KnockoutChaos | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/TPFphppybu
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 6, 2024
Francis Ngannou faces Anthony Joshua this Friday in a headling bout of Knockout Chaos event. The fight card takes place on March 8 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be a 10-round bout in a heavyweight division.
