Dana White doesn’t rate Francis Ngannou’s chances against Tyson Fury too highly.
Fury and Ngannou have expressed interest in boxing each other for a while now, with Fury proposing a special rules bout with four-ounce gloves. But in a recent interview on “The MMA Hour,” Fury said he plans on retiring after boxing Dillian Whyte in April and sees a fight with UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou on the horizon.
But White, who’s currently having negotiation issues with Ngannou and his management, doesn’t think the heavyweight champion should even entertain a fight with Fury.
“It’s a really bad idea for Francis – a really bad idea,” White said in an interview with Barstool Sports.
When asked about Ngannou’s knockout power, which has shut the lights out on 12 of his 17 opponents, White said even that wouldn’t be enough against a boxer of Fury’s caliber.
“So did Deontay Wilder – he had that one-punch (knockout) power, too,” White said.
Fury battled Wilder three times. Their first outing was a thrilling draw in December 2018 in which Fury was able to miraculously get up from a thunderous Wilder knockdown. But the WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion was able to leave no doubt when he finished Wilder in both the rematch and trilogy bouts.
Ngannou currently is healing from a knee injury and is projected to be out for the remainder of the year. Although he fought out his contract after retaining his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 this past January, Ngannou is still tied to the UFC until the end of the year due to a “championship clause.”
