The puncher’s chance in this fight may not work.
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou will begin his fight with WBC heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury as an outright underdog. In the fight, which will take place on October 28 in Riyadh according to boxing rules, neither bookmakers nor experts believe in the Cameroonian. And it seems that in a fight against one of the smartest, most technical and fastest boxers in the heavyweight division, Ngannou has no chance. Let’s try to figure it out.
Rules of battle
Ngannou has made a name for himself in the UFC. There he also earned a reputation as a terrible puncher. But mixed martial arts and boxing, despite the presence of striking techniques in the former, are radically different sports. The lack of wrestling and the inability to land kicks negate Ngannou’s potential advantages.
Yes, Francis is not very strong in these components, but his opponents in MMA should have taken these points into account. Now Ngannou will have to rely only on punches, but delivering a powerful punch to one of the fastest technical fighters in the world is an incredibly difficult task. Plus, it’s not a fact that even a powerful blow that lands right on target will be able to knock Fury out. Tyson won twice against Wilder, who is called the most powerful knockout artist, and was knocked down three times.
Battle format
The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds of three minutes each. For Fury, this is a habit. Ngannou has never fought 10 three-minute stretches in a row (at least not officially).
On the one hand, five five-minute rounds in MMA is a total of 25 minutes, versus the 30 planned for the Fury-Ngannou fight. On the other hand, this is a completely different level of gameplan for battle and level of endurance. In other words, you will have to spend 10 segments at the maximum pace instead of five. Plus, if within five minutes you can, conditionally, take a break or your opponent will allow you to do so, then in a three-minute boxing round it is more difficult. The question is whether Ngannou will be able to quickly rebuild. And immediately – for 10 rounds.
Combat Gloves
The fight will be done with boxing gloves. They are significantly larger than those used in MMA. As a result, the force of the blow is “extinguished”, and the defender’s capabilities increase. For whom this is a plus – no need to say.
Plus, the mechanics of strikes in different gloves are at least slightly different. And it is likely that Ngannou’s main or only trump card may not work.
Fighter level
Even in the UFC, Ngannou prevailed with power and pressure. Fury, we have talked about this more than once, is one of the fastest, smartest and most technical boxers of our time. The Gypsy King knows how to control the rhythm and tempo of the battle, change tactics during the fight and adapt to the opponent – and all this at high speed, with excellent timing and the ability to see the weaknesses of the opponent.
Fury fight with Usik
Yes, it’s not a completely obvious factor. But for sure, Fury and the organizers of the fight between the Gypsy King and Ngannou kept in mind the upcoming unification fight between the Briton and Usyk, which will become the main event in the world of professional boxing for several decades.
To sabotage such a chance – by Fury’s loss to Ngannou or by serious damage to the Briton – is a big mistake and a serious financial blow. It seems no one is ready to do this. With the possible exception of Ngannou himself.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
