Francis Ngannou facing 'massive uphill task' in 'intriguing' Tyson Fury fight, says David Haye

Will former UFC champion Francis Ngannou pull off a surprise win over Tyson Fury when they meet in Saudi Arabia on October 28? Former heavyweight champion David Haye has given his view on the fight and why it will be a tough challenge for Ngannou. Haye believes it will be a "great spectacle" and has explained what changes Ngannou needs to make when he steps into the ring.

David Haye believes Francis Ngannou faces a “massive uphill task” to beat Tyson Fury but is predicting an “intriguing contest”.

Boxing’s WBC champion Fury takes on the former UFC heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia on October 28, live on TNT Sports Box Office.

Fury has said it is “unthinkable” he will lose to Ngannou and has vowed to come in at the “fittest and strongest” he has ever been to avoid an upset.

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Former heavyweight champion Haye thinks it will be a tough ask for Ngannou to move from the octagon into the ring and compete with Fury.

“I think it's a great spectacle, it's exciting, it brings a crossover fan base,” Haye told TNT Sports.

“A lot of the UFC fans will be very interested seeing how their former champion does against the heavyweight champion of boxing and it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"But I think it's a little unfair to be doing boxing rules. It will be the equivalent of Tyson Fury doing an MMA fight over five rounds; it's a completely different arena that he hasn't performed in before.

“They always say every heavyweight has got a puncher's chance, so you never know, but I’m very much a believer that no matter how great you are at your sport, jumping into another sport and fighting the very best, whether it's judo or jujitsu, you're an expert in your sport for a reason.

“So going into another man's domain, you lose a massive advantage, and although there is punching in MMA you punch at a different distance, you punch with different footwork because you're ready to get kicked, you're ready to defend the takedown.

“So Ngannou needs to readjust his body and his brain and rewire himself up in one training camp where Tyson Fury has had it since he was a little kid and is the best in the world in many people's eyes."

Ngannou's last UFC fight was in January 2022 when he beat Ciryl Gane to improve his record to 17-3.

Fury holds a 33-0-1 boxing record but has not fought since beating Derek Chisora in December 2022.

“It’s a massive uphill task for Ngannou, but I'm going to tune in," added Haye.

“I’m going to be watching it for sure, it's a very, very intriguing contest.”

How to watch Fury v Ngannou in the UK on TV

Fury v Ngannou can be watched in the UK & Ireland through BT, Virgin Media TV and Sky or online via the web or the TNT Sports Box Office App. You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.

Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View Live Events rail

BT TV customers can go to channel 494 and pay using their remote control.

Viewers wanting to watch the fight online should visit www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice and follow instructions to subscribe and watch on the web or on the TNT Sports Box Office App, customers can choose to watch on the big screen using Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay. EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 customers watching online or via the TNT Sports Box Office App can choose to add the payment to their mobile bill.

Sky customers can purchase TNT Sports Box Office on channel 490 via their remote control or via https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt

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