‘I wasn’t that confident’… Francis Ngannou reveals what his biggest fears were ahead of fighting Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou has given a rare insight into how he really felt ahead of his boxing match with Tyson Fury.

On October 28, 2023, ‘The Predator’ went head-to-head with ‘The Gypsy King’ inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In what was close to becoming the biggest upset in the history of the sport, the MMA star dropped the Brit, en route to losing a narrow split decision.

The result massively boosted Ngannou’s stock, with a contest against Wladimir Klitschko now a possibility.

Francis Ngannou was worried about his lack of experience and a knee injury before Tyson Fury fight

While Francis Ngannou had proven himself as the greatest heavyweight in mixed martial arts, setting foot inside the squared circle against the legendary Tyson Fury, was a completely different kettle of fish.

Not only was the Cameroonian significantly less experienced than his rival, but he was also deeply concerned about whether his knee could make it through the bout.

In an interview with The Ring Podcast, the 38-year-old explained: “I wasn’t confident because I have my ego as a man that says, ‘Ok, I’m fighting another man, and I have the capability to win’, but at the same time, I’m like, ‘It’s my first boxing match’.

“I’m there questioning myself if I can go through three or four rounds, if I can get there, I’d never been there in my life.

“I’m getting to the end of my career, I’m fighting a guy who has experience in this entire career, getting towards the end of his own career. He’d done this lots of times; I’d never done this.

“One thing, ‘Can I stand up on this knee, is it going to hold up’? I had a very hard knee surgery with a lot of complications. For over a year, I couldn’t walk properly, struggling with rehab.

“I was like, ‘Is it going to hold up or is it going to buckle once and for all’? Again, do what you can do and see what happens.”

Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder predicted by Brendan Schaub

While Ngannou has yet to officially pick up a victory in boxing, many would still love to see him battle it out with Deontay Wilder.

The potential contest would pit possibly the two biggest punchers in human history against one another in a monumental showdown that could end at any second.

While the PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion could remain in his new promotion, he still wants his redemption inside the ring. On the other hand, having lost his last two contests, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ needs a win badly, making a clash between the pair a very real possibility.

And now, Brendan Schaub has given an interesting prediction on how Ngannou vs Wilder would go down.