Tyson Fury has undergone an impressive body transformation ahead of his upcoming crossover clash with ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Saturday night. The Gypsy King doesn’t have washboard abs or bulging muscles, but he does look considerably leaner than he did at the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ launch press conference last month.
When the pair came face to face for the first time, Fury was carrying a fair bit more timber than he usually does. However, when he whipped his top off at the open workout it was clear he had been putting in the work.
Flexing his muscles and shadow-boxing for the camera, a considerably leaner Fury exclaimed: “That’s a man in shape. This man is fit for 25 rounds, non-stop… I’m an Adonis! I’m ready for a fight!”
Fury has, in his own words, been “training like a monk” for the last 12 weeks in preparation for the fight. The WBC heavyweight champion clearly isn’t taking Ngannou lightly despite this being the Cameroonian MMA star’s first boxing bout.
Fans had hoped to see Fury duke it out with Oleksandr Usyk for all four major sanctioning body belts next but a disagreement over the split for their rematch derailed negotiations. The pair have finally agreed terms though and are expected to square off on December 23 or sometime in January providing everything goes to plan this weekend.
Ngannou will be hoping to ruin those plans by pulling off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. The last time, a fighter with zero professional boxing bouts faced a world champion was all the way back in 1956 when Floyd Patterson defended his NYSAC and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles against Pete Rademacher.
There is a glaring difference between Rademacher and Ngannou, however. While Ngannou is a boxing novice, who has made his name in MMA, Rademacher was an Olympic boxing champion. Despite his impressive credentials and a bright start, Rademacher eventually succumbed to a sixth-round knockout loss at the hands of Cus D’Amato’s protege – and a similar result is expected when Fury gets his hands on Ngannou.
For the Predator, beating Fury would be a “dream” but it’s one he fully believes he can make into a reality. “I beat him,” Ngannou told Sky Sports. “I’m going to win. A knockout is a part of it. I might not have that power at the end of the day – but I just believe in it. A dream is free. So I can dream. So I always allow myself to dream. You know what other dream I have. To beat Tyson Fury.”