In Las Vegas and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, all eyes are on Francis Ngannou as he steps into a boxing ring, a far cry from his UFC days at the Performance Institute. The gym is not just any gym; it’s one Ngannou opened himself, with the word “GIMIK” emblazoned above the boxing ring. It’s a playful nod to those who doubted his transition into the boxing world, dismissing it as a farce. But today, at least on the surface, Ngannou looks like a true boxer, and his transformation is enhanced by the presence of none other than Mike Tyson.
Tyson watches closely and occasionally intervenes, offering technical advice to Ngannou and his coach Dewey Cooper. The power that Tyson was known for during his prime is still evident, but his wisdom lies in the importance of landing that power effectively.
“I don’t like power,” Tyson states. “Power only matters if you can land it.”
Ngannou’s journey to this point is a testament to his unwavering determination. As a 10-year-old boy in the small village of Batie, Cameroon, he used to share his dreams of becoming a professional heavyweight boxer, inspired by his idol, “Iron” Mike Tyson. Many dismissed his dream as absurd, given the lack of a boxing gym in Batie and his family’s limited access to a television.
However, Ngannou’s infatuation with Tyson, despite never seeing him in action, was unwavering. Tyson’s reputation as a ferocious and powerful fighter had traveled even to the corners of Central Africa. With only stories of Tyson’s greatness, the young Ngannou held on to his dream.
Ngannou’s ability to dream was boundless. He could envision the imposing knockout artist putting his opponents to sleep and walking away with riches. He even asked his siblings to call him “American Boy” because he yearned to box in the United States. His mother, however, was not a fan of the nickname and was skeptical of his dream to box professionally.
Fast forward to today, at the age of 37, Ngannou is set to face Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) in a non-title bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a fight he willed into existence (2 p.m. ESPN+ PPV). Ngannou’s life story is so incredible that Hollywood might find it too unbelievable for a script. He emigrated from Cameroon to Paris in his 20s, embarking on a harrowing 14-month journey through Nigeria, Morocco, and Spain. Just eight years after his first training session, he became the UFC heavyweight champion and left the UFC as its heavyweight champion in 2022 to pursue his childhood dream of boxing professionally.
In his boxing debut, he faces Fury, the lineal heavyweight boxing champion of the world. And as if that’s not enough, the icing on the cake is that Mike Tyson himself is mentoring Ngannou. Tyson joined Ngannou’s team in late July to oversee his training.
For Ngannou, the moment when Tyson joined his corner was when this journey felt truly real. Walking away from a UFC offer that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the company’s history was a gamble. Seeing that gamble pay off with a contract to face Fury was another level of achievement. But having your childhood hero show up in your corner, believing you’re capable of pulling off the impossible, was the stuff of dreams.
“Everybody was like, ‘No, [this fight] can’t happen because he’s not a boxer,'” Ngannou said. “And even though you focus and you believe, you know there is a chance it won’t happen. But then one month later, you’re in the gym training for a fight that is going to happen for sure. And Mike Tyson is there. Everything is real then, right? So, that was a great moment.
