Francis Ngannou gives props to Tyson Fury’s punching power after feeling it in their boxing match. The former UFC heavyweight champion made his boxing debut against Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 14, 2023. Although Fury had far more experience competing, especially at the highest level of professional boxing, Ngannou gave him a run for the money.

Tyson Fury won the fight via split decision. However, Ngannou achieved a moral victory with a great showing. He also scored the only knockdown of the fight in Round three, but Fury got away with a few good shots himself. Ngannou is known for carrying an iron chin, and none of the shots seemed to bother him. But how does he rate ‘The Gypsy King’s’ power?

During a recent appearance on The Last Stand podcast, Francis Ngannou told host Brian Custer that Fury is one of the hardest hitters he has faced in his combat sports career. Ngannou said:

“Fury punches pretty good. I ate some of his shots — he punches very strong,” Ngannou said. “And he was with 10oz gloves, because MMA fights are 4oz gloves. In boxing it’s 10oz. I think, so far, he is the top [hard hitter.]” [H/t TheMacLife]

Overcoming adverse situations in fights is one of the best aspects of Tyson Fury’s personality, and the boxing community witnessed that once again in the Francis Nganou fight. A perfectly placed punch by the Cameroonian sent the WBC heavyweight champion crashing down to the canvas in round three. But Fury managed to get back up and made it to the final bell. While speaking about the sequence, Francis Ngannou said:

“I was [feeling] pretty good. I mean, I have watched Fury many times, I have watched him take a strong hand, go down, unconscious and then come back. So I knew [I could knock him down.] I was expecting [more] because I was looking at him, his eyes were open, he looks like he was all conscious.”

Watch the full podcast episode below:

Francis Ngannou thinks Tyson Fury may have underestimated him

Francis Ngannou’s close fight with Tyson Fury has raised a lot of questions about the state of boxing and Tyson Fury’s abilities in the boxing world. Many professional boxers criticized ‘The Gypsy King’ for the lackluster showing. But Francis Ngannou thinks that Fury’s may have underestimated him.

While speaking to Brian Custer, Ngannou said:

“Absolutely, I think he underestimated me in some way. I think he’s an elite athlete, right? When he has a fight, he takes it seriously.”

‘The Predator’ further stated:

“Fury said, ‘I took 12 weeks of training camp’. But you know, this little extra that you have to push every time because you think about the challenge and then how big he is… I think he was comfortable. He was training, but he was comfortable… He didn’t push. There was still something in him like, ‘come on man! I’ll get this, easy job!’”