Tyson Fury admits to not training hard enough for Francis Ngannou: ‘It wasn’t really a fight’

Tyson Fury has acknowledged that he failed to prepare adequately for his October 2023 boxing match against Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion making his professional boxing debut. In an interview with ALF Global, Fury reflected on a bout that came closer to disaster than he initially let on: Ngannou knocked Fury down with a powerful punch in the third round, though the British boxer recovered to secure a disputed split decision victory.

Fury explained that his mindset going into the crossover bout differed sharply from how he approached world-title fights. He described the Ngannou matchup as feeling more like an exhibition or "play" than a genuine competition—a casual approach that nearly cost him dearly. "I knew he was a good fighter, but to me it's levels to boxing," Fury said. "When you do an exhibition fight, play, it wasn't really a fight... To him, to Ngannou, it was, 'Aaaah, big fight, I fight Tyson Fury!' To me, it was play, a game." Ngannou's third-round knockdown marked only the second time Fury had been put on his back in the ring; the first came during his 2018 clash with Deontay Wilder, when Fury miraculously beat the count after appearing to be knocked out cold.

When comparing the two heavy punchers, Fury gave Wilder a clear edge in power. "Ngannou's a strong guy, big guy, but he doesn't punch like Wilder," he said. "No way." Ngannou's performance against Fury led to a second boxing match in March 2024 against Anthony Joshua, which ended poorly when Joshua knocked him out decisively in round two.

Fury's reflections come as several other MMA fighters have pursued boxing careers, including Conor McGregor's high-profile loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Anderson Silva's knockout victories over former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Tito Ortiz. Fury supports the trend, arguing that popular fighters can draw audiences across sports. "I think if they're popular and they're famous, then they can cross over into any other fight sport because it's about popularity today," he said. "How many tickets they can sell, how many views they can generate—it's good for both sports."