Mike Tyson, who assisted Francis Ngannou in training for his bout with Tyson Fury, has responded to the latter’s placement in the WBC heavyweight rankings.
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Ngannou was ranked in the top 10 by the sanctioning body, it was revealed this week. Given that the Cameroonian-Frenchman had only engaged in one professional boxing match—a defeat—many were incensed by the verdict.
When the two faced off in October in Saudi Arabia, the mixed martial arts celebrity did put up a great performance against WBC champion Tyson Fury. He even managed to score a knockdown in the third round before losing by split decision.
Ngannou has expressed his desire for a rematch with the British fighter since the fight, but Fury has now formally declared that his highly anticipated undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk will occur on February 17th of the following year.
Prior to the fight, Mike Tyson, a former undisputed champion, trained with Ngannou. When asked about his thoughts on Ngannou’s ranking at the WBC convention, he claimed that it was “too low.”
“He did a great job [against Fury]. Number 10 is too low!”
Tyson then explained why he thought Ngannou’s ranking should be higher.
“He did a great job with one of the greatest fighters of all time. His first time boxing, fighting for the heavyweight championship, fighting against the best heavyweight of his era. He deserves a lot of credentials after that.”
Quite what Ngannou will do next is unknown given that Fury is not available for a rematch, but he has said he will honour a deal he signed to fight MMA in the Professional Fighters League.
