Editor’s Note: I can’t believe I’m writing this story right now (end of note).
Yes, this really happened. Live on ESPN+ PPV, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury asked UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou about the size of his “third leg” to put it lightly.
The impromptu meetup/interview came after Fury successfully defended his title against Dillian Whyte in front of more than 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, Fury’s homecoming fight in the United Kingdom.
The event was truly an amazing spectacle to behold, and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t. Things capped off in true boxing tradition, with roughly 300 (sarcasm) people flooding the ring doing god knows what. Also in true boxing fashion the ring interviews weren’t just a few brief questions like you would see in MMA, but instead they were full blown podcast-length (again, sarcasm) interviews.
To cap things off in the process, Fury was joined by Ngannou in the ring. Ngannou has been adamant that he wants to have a boxing match, specifically against Fury. Somewhat surprisingly, Fury has engaged and even encouraged the discussion as well. While being interviewed by ESPN in the ring, Fury noticed Ngannou also in the ring and pulled him into the interview. Francis said he “wants to find out who the baddest mother fu*ker on the planet is”, you know, doing legitimate promotion to build hype for the fight. Fury then laughed back asking Ngannou “have you got a big corey?” which apparently must be British slang for c*ck. Ngannou looked incredibly confused before finally realizing what Fury meant, while the ESPN reporter awkwardly tried to wrap things up. Take a look at the odd moment here:
So now talks of a crossover bout are currently hotter than ever. Ngannou is coming off of a recent reconstructive knee surgery, so it’s unlikely he’ll be back fighting any sport any time too soon. The main hold up besides his knee, however, is his contract situation with the UFC. Ngannou could not come to terms with a new deal with the UFC before his past title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. Now, his contract expires at the end of this calendar year, meaning if they can’t come to a new deal, Ngannou could walk away with the championship belt in hand. Ngannou has made it clear to the UFC that he not only wants more money, but won’t agree to anything the UFC has to offer if it doesn’t include a boxing bout with Fury.
With the demand hotter than ever, it will be interesting to monitor how things develop in contract talks between Ngannou and the UFC.
Editor’s Note, Again: I can’t believe I just wrote this story.
