Swedish professional boxer Otto Wallin has spoken out after a fight has been agreed between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. The heavyweight bout will see the former UFC champion take on the British boxer in the ring, something which Wallin has his own experiences in.
As a former WBA Continental heavyweight champion, Wallin went toe-to-toe with Fury back in 2019. The fight took place in front of a packed T-Mobile Arena crowd in Las Vegas.
Wallin, ranked number four by the WBA at the time, went the distance against the Gypsy King and held his own throughout the twelve rounds. It was Fury who eventually came out on top, despite a nasty cut to the head, winning by a unanimous decision.
With Fury now set to take on former UFC star Ngannou in the boxing ring on Saturday, October 28 in Saudi Arabia, the 32-year-old believes the fight is heavily in Fury’s favour. Speaking to TMZ Sports, he said: “Tyson is the best heavyweight fighter in the world in boxing. Ngannou might be the best at MMA at heavyweight. So this fight is gonna be at boxing so you obviously gotta favour Fury a lot.
“[Tyson’s] fighting someone that’s making his pro debut as a boxer really. It’s a whole different sport, and as difficult as it’ll be for Fury to go over to MMA, it’s gonna be the same for Ngannou. So of course Fury’s gonna be a big favourite.”
Wallin suggested that the only way Ngannou can match Fury is by making the bout “a dogfight” and using his strength and size to his advantage. However, it’s Fury who stands the tallest between the pair at 6-foot-nine, compared to Ngannou at 6-foot-4.
Wallin’s prediction for the bout is a knock-out, but is undecided on which fighter will land the final blow. The Swedish boxer is no stranger to knock-out blows having achieved 14 wins by KO over 25 fights.
The 32-year-old’s only defeat came against Fury, with the only other blemish on his record coming from a no contest decision against Nick Kisner after an accidental headbutt.
Fury, on the other hand, is undefeated with With 34 fights to his name, 33 wins and one draw against Deontay Wilder. His last venture into the ring saw a 10th round TKO win over Derek Chisora in a third fight between the pair.
Ngannou also has an impressive record with just three defeats, all of which by decision, from 20 professional fights. Ngannou last fight came back in January 2022 when he won via unanimous decision against Ciryl Gane.