Tyson Fury says he is training for 'war' against Francis Ngannou - 'an absolute battle royale'

Tyson Fury says he is preparing for “an absolute battle royale” against Francis Ngannou.

The WBC heavyweight champion will fight the former UFC heavyweight title holder on October 28, live on TNT Sports Box Office.

Fury’s last fight was in December 2022 when he defeated Derek Chisora in a trilogy rematch, while Ngannou is making his bow in professional boxing after temporarily stepping away from MMA.

The 35-year-old declared that he was “still fat”, but cut a svelte figure compared to his usual out-of-competition appearance, and told DAZN that he was taking the forthcoming bout as seriously as any other fight.

Fury was asked how his preparation was going, and he answered: “Camp’s good, I’ve been training for nine weeks unstopped. I don’t leave any stones unturned, ever, that’s why I’ve been undefeated for 15 years, so pretty good.”

The Briton is the heavy favourite, but Fury believes that given the power behind Nagnnou’s blows and the success he has had in MMA, there is plenty of risk.

He explained: “Let’s put it this way, if I go to the boozer in a minute, and I get a bit cheeky, and a big old lump swings at me and hits me, it’s going to hurt me isn’t it? Never mind an absolute killer like Ngannou.

“The man’s had 20 fights, he’s going from homeless to being world champion in six years, so I don’t underestimate anyone like that.

“I take him 100% seriously, I’m training as hard for him as I did for [Deontay] Wilder, [Wladimir] Klitschko, anyone. I’ve got to do my job, there’s no foregone conclusions.

“I don’t count my chickens before they hatch. Every man has to be respected and gets credit for stepping in that ring.

"If it’s anything less than an absolute war, it’ll be an easy night, but I’m preparing for an absolute battle royale.”

Tyson Fury v Francis 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 on October 28. 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

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 www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt.

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