Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou was a treat for boxing and MMA fans’ eyes worldwide. Even though the fight ended up in a controversial split decision win for Fury, Ngannou’s remarkable skills are a testimony of his and his coach Mike Tyson’s hardwork.

The 37-year-old fighter impressed a lot of A-listers with his skills in the boxing match held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He made his coach Mike Tyson, who was his trainer for the fight against Fury, proud.

The Cameroonian-French fighter took to his Instagram handle and shared a series of images with a heartfelt note for Mike Tyson. He thanked ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ for having faith in his skills and training him for a UFC-boxing crossover fight. He wrote,

“My brother, my idol, my GOAT Thank you for believing in me, for helping me and for fortifying my faith. The one and only @miketyson furyngannou #battleofthebaddest @riyadhseason”

‘The Predator’ had one of the finest trainers Mike Tyson who is considered as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Tyson who reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 proved to be the perfect trainer and a mentor for Ngannou.

How did Francis Ngannou persuade Mike Tyson to coach him?

The 37-year-old’s transition from UFC to boxing hasn’t been an easy ride. During his appearance on the ‘JRE’ podcast, he discussed about his career and how he persuaded ‘Iron Mike’ to coach him against ‘The Gypsy King’. He said,

“Exactly four years ago, that’s when [Mike] Tyson and I started to hit each other on social media. Four years ago was the first time that I met Mike Tyson. I was on his podcast, ‘The Hotboxin’ and one request that I initiate at that time was like whenever I fight Tyson Fury, would you be in my corner and he said yes.”

‘The Predator’ mentioned that he started interacting with ‘Iron Mike’ on social media. Later, during his appearance on ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson’ podcast Ngannou requested the boxing legend to coach him for the boxing bout.

It is imperative to note that the skills shown by Ngannou were worth the praise keeping in mind his zero boxing experience. His outstanding skills and unbreakable grit displayed are likely to get him more opportunities against top fighters, despite the loss. He is now an inspiration for the combat community around the world and has opened the doors for many other fighters from the world of MMA.