Tyson Fury warns Francis Ngannou against doing 'anything stupid' like Dillon Danis and Nate Diaz
25/10/2023 16:03
Tyson Fury wants a good, clean fight with Francis Ngannou and has warned his former UFC champion opponent against trying 'anything stupid'.
The WBC heavyweight champion is set to welcome Ngannou, who is a mixed martial arts star, to professional boxing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
Fury has repeatedly expressed an interest in crossing over to MMA but insists he has no desire to find himself in anything other than a boxing match this weekend.
"This is a boxing fight and it's actually a proper boxing, sanctioned fight," he told MMA Junkie.
"So if he starts doing anything stupid, he'll get chucked out and disqualified. Game over. This is not a wrestling match, an MMA fight or a street fight. This is Queensbury rules. The greatest sport in history,”
Crossover fights in 2023 have been marred by the use of MMA moves.
Earlier this month, Dillon Danis repeatedly tried to take YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul to the ground during their grudge match on the undercard of KSI vs Tommy Fury.
Conor McGregor's training partner, who is known for his world-class submission skills, was ultimately disqualified for trying to put Paul in a guillotine choke, a move that started a mass brawl.
In August, something similar happened during Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz.
'The Problem Child' dropped Diaz and was cruising to a decision victory when he found himself being choked out by the UFC legend.
Diaz released his grip before things got out of hand and avoided being disqualified from the fight. Diaz took a moral victory after finding out Paul was defenceless to his BJJ.
Fury is confident his clash with Ngannou will run smoothly.
He added: "This is big-time boxing, so welcome to big-time boxing.
"Am I a heavy favourite? Two giant men swinging at each other and whoever lands first will go down?
"It’s very difficult to hit me even if you’ve got a handful of rice. He’s either gonna sink or swim and either way, I’m knocking him out.”
The 35-year-old is so confident of beating 'The Predator' he's already signed to fight WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in a historic undisputed bout earmarked for December.
After making his boxing debut, Ngannou will enjoy some downtime before returning to MMA with the Professional Fighters League [PFL] in 2024.
