How Much is Mike Tyson Charging Francis Ngannou For Training Ahead of Tyson Fury Fight?

Come 28th of October, one of the most anticipated fights of the year will take its course in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his debut fight in the ring, former UFC champion, Francis Ngannou, will go against the WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. With an opponent of this stature, Ngannou’s preparation for the big match also needed to be amped up.

In such efforts came a name that still echoes in the boxing Hall of Fame. Former heavyweight world champion, Mike Tyson, vehemently told the world that he will be joining Ngannou’s pack as coach/ mentor. For a maiden boxing match, getting Tyson to train in itself is a privilege. But it also happens to be an expensive affair. And rightly so.

Mike Tyson hints at a million-dollar fee to train Francis Ngannou

In his active days in the boxing ring, Mike Tyson’s name would demand a hectic load of money for each fight. For his fight against Lennox Lewis, the fighter charged a massive purse of $17 million. However, as he also was given the pay-per-view points, he reportedly went home $103 million richer than he already was. Today, when his boxing career has taken a bow, and he’s onto training a name like Ngannou, he continues to charge the bomb that his name and expertise deserve.

How much exactly is he charging to train ‘The Predator’ you ask? Well, there are no official figures that have emerged. But in a conversation with Israel Adesanya on his podcast, Hotboxin with Mike Tyson, the former champion hinted about the money he charges to coach fighters.

In complete awe of Ngannou for demanding a fair cheque for this fight, Adesanya said, “look, this is what’s happening. They’re paying me this much and I’m this guy.” There were reports that the Cameroonian fighter was charging a whopping $6 million for the fight.

But in contrast to the mammoth size of this matchup, the 6 million does not match up. Further, when kept against the experience Mike Tyson brings to the table, the 6 million would just be to his fees. Or so claims the legend himself. He says, “Listen, that’d be my training expenses. That’s my training expenses.”

When Tyson announced to the world that he would mentor Ngannou for the upcoming bout, it descended into a frenzy it has still not been able to recover from. In such a frenzy also remain questions as to what role Tyson has to play in his mentee’s training camp.

Coach Mike Tyson, Trainer someone else?

As fight night inches closer, boxing enthusiasts have erupted in a discourse to understand what role ‘Iron Mike’ has to play in the entire scheme of things for this fight. When looked closely, such an analysis becomes crucial to measure the acumen Ngannou brings to his new stint in boxing. But while one would assume as per popular belief that Tyson would actually train through the thick and thin of the sport with Ngannou, he has otherwise to clarify.

In a conversation with GQ, Mike Tyson said, “I’m not a trainer. I’m a coach. A trainer can be bought by anybody. ‘Train this guy. Hey, train this guy,’. I’m a coach. I’m loyal to my guy. When he gets beat up, I feel the punches. When he’s hitting, knocking out a motherf***r, I feel the victory applause.”

Assuming the role of a mentor over a professional trainer, Mike Tyson has been closely keeping tabs on Ngannou. However, the puzzle comes together with the entry of a much more adept trainer, Eric Nicksick. The head of Xtreme Couture has trained the likes of Aljamain Sterling and Sean Strickland. Talking about his entourage of trainers, Ngannou commented, “Yeah, I have Dewey Cooper, I have Eric Nicksick [and] I have John Bomba, from France,” said ‘The Predator’.

Also Read: Coach to Multiple UFC Champs Joins Hands With Mike Tyson as Francis Ngannou Reveals Corner for Tyson Fury Fight

When fight night arrives, the world will not just keep its glimpse of Francis Ngannou. But it extends this attention to the heavily involved, Mike Tyson. With so much at stake for him, will the support he receives from Tyson and Nicksick push him to victory? Follow the journey of this much-anticipated bout with us over this weekend.

Pitch in your thoughts about Mike Tyson and Francis Ngannou’s association. Let us know in the comments section below.

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