Fury says that boxing world should laugh at him if he losses to Ngannou

Tyson Fury says that boxing world should laugh at him if he gets beaten by MMA star Francis Ngannou in their fight in Saudi Arabia on 28October.

Heavyweight world champion Fury, 35, will face former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, who has no professional record in boxing.

Briton Fury’s WBC title will not be on the line against Ngannou.

“If I lose to an MMA guy I’ll never be able to show my face in public again,” he added. “It’s going to ridicule me – people will chuck it at me forever”.

Fury and 37-year-old Ngannou came face-to-face at a news conference on Thursday in London.

Their fight will take place under the official rules of professional boxing.

Fury (33-0-1) is a two-time world champion. He beat Derek Chisora in December.

French-Cameroonian Ngannou held ambitions to be a boxer before venturing into MMA. He is known for his punching power and knockout ability and will be trained by boxing Hall-of-Fame star Mike Tyson, a man Fury was named after.

“Too bad for him, Mike Tyson loves me more than him,” joked Ngannou.

He became UFC heavyweight champion in 2021 and defended once before his relationship with the MMA promotion and its president Dana White broke down.