John Fury, the eccentric father of British boxing stars Tommy and Tyson Fury has once again attempted to steal some of the limelight from his infinitely more talented children.
On Saturday, October 28, Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight world champion, will return to the squared circle for the first time in 2023 to take on former UFC titleholder Francis Ngannou. With the bout mere hours away, Ngannou and ‘The Gypsy King’ are already in the Saudi Arabian capital for pre-fight festivities, including a face-off that was seemingly raided by Fury’s father and former boxer in his own right, John Fury.
As seen in the video clip below, the elder Fury decided to disrobe and wedge himself in between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, making for an extra-awkward staredown.
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou face off
pic.twitter.com/8R3AG5KlXR— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 26, 2023
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for John Fury to get the hint and move out of the way so that the cameras could catch the real stars of the event.
Boxing Icon Teddy Atlast Offers His Take on Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou
Famed boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas shared his take on this weekend’s long-awaited showdown inside the ring, suggesting that ‘The Gypsy King’ should walk away with the win, but acknowledging that the heavy-hitting Cameroonian has a puncher’s chance to shock the world.
“There should be only one winner, the boxer, because he’s been boxing his whole life at a high level,” Atlas said on YouTube. “So I’m here to say, yeah, it might be one-sided. It might turn out that way, just like (Conor) McGregor vs. (Floyd) Mayweather could’ve turned out that way, but I’m not so sure.”
“Ngannou has the power to hurt anyone, including Fury who has an unbelievable chin, who’s been dropped by the biggest puncher in (Deontay) Wilder a few times, and he’s gotten up,” he continued. “So he’s got a great chin and a great constitution, a great heart does Fury. Just great, just great. You have to applaud him for that. But Ngannou has shown stout toughness also when he’s been tested, when he’s been on the floor and being threatened to be submitted and he hasn’t. That shows a resolve right there, that you can keep the devil at the door and not give in to compromising yourself.”
Emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the event will air live on ESPN+ pay-per-view with the main card kicking off a 2 p.m. ET. Main event ring walks are expected to commence at roughly 5:40 p.m. ET.
Watch the full press conference below:
Transcription by MMA Mania
