Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou final press conference quotes
The final press conference for the Battle of the Baddest between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou took place on Thursday evening ahead of the official opening of Riyadh Season on Saturday.
All the major players issued their final statements before weighing in on Friday and ultimately taking to the ring in front of a watching audience of millions across the globe.
The 'Battle of the Baddest' is broadcast live on TNT Sports Box Office in the UK & Ireland and via Top Rank on ESPN PPV on Saturday 28 October.
Below are a selection of key quotes from the media event.
FURY vs NGANNOU
Tyson Fury: “It is absolutely unbelievable to be out here in the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to be top of the bill is even more special. A big shout-out to everyone involved. We’ve all got a lot to be thankful for and we’ve all come a long, long way to be here and this has happened in such a short space of time. To see it all unfold and to be privy to some of the phone calls and organising and stuff, to now see it in real life is amazing. First and foremost I just want say thank you, I am so happy to be here and secondly I’ve got big Francis Ngannou to fight. He’s a big man and I see he’s took a bit of advice from me with the clothes he’s wearing, he’s looking a bit snazzy. They say the finest form of flattery is imitation and he’s got his suit with no shirt on. I started that. Many will imitate, but not one will ever replicate. Because there’s only one Gypsy King.”
Francis Ngannou: “Where do I start? I think this is a manifestation, a dream come true. I remember four years ago when I met Mike Tyson, my only request was when I fight Tyson Fury will you be in my corner? People thought I was losing it, I was crazy, it would never happen. Here we are and the fight is happening, so I am very excited, I am living the dream. It is never easy. I want to thank everybody here who has helped to make the fight happen. It might be a little weird, but I also want to thank Tyson Fury for taking the fight, for taking the risk because there is a lot of risk here for him too. He might go to sleep on Saturday night, so I appreciate his courage and thank him a lot for the opportunity as well.”
Frank Warren: “It is one of the most amazing events I’ve ever been involved with, with an amazing lineal heavyweight champion in Tyson Fury. Wherever he goes, everything is big, everything, he breaks records everywhere. Obviously we have got a lineal champion in Francis, who is undefeated as UFC champion. We’ve got a fabulous fight in a fabulous setting and it is just going to be something special on the night. The whole event on Saturday night is going to be mind-blowing, no doubt about that. Big shout-out to Spencer (Brown) for what he’s done. This is the start of something really big here and the catalyst, as I say, is Tyson. He is the catalyst to make this happen and His Excellency has been phenomenal in what he’s done. His team has got behind this and made it extra, extra special.”
Dewey Cooper (Ngannou trainer): “Francis has been training really hard for the last three and a half months. We brought in tons of different guys for him to spar with, to get comfortable with the height and the reach of Tyson Fury, also the movement and the speed. He’s a champion, he came from Cameroon, he’s been through so many difficulties in his entire life and this is no different. He will persevere, he will be victorious in two days.”
Bob Arum: “Long after many of us have gone, people will be talking about this event. This is something that nobody has seen before. When the fight was announced or talked about, there was not even an arena and in 90 days an arena was built to seat 22,000 people. Where in the world could that ever happen? I don’t know about the UK, but in the US it would take two and a half to three years to build a comparable structure. This event is really unique because it brings together the best MMA heavyweight ever against the best heavyweight boxer, certainly since Muhammad Ali and maybe ever.”
Sugarhill Steward: “To be honest, it has probably been one of the toughest training camps because we don’t know what to expect. He has come in from UFC but he has been fighting his whole life and it is like entering an amateur tournament where you don’t know who you are going to fight next or what style. It is pretty much impossible to train for that kind of a fight. You just have to train to be your best and be as sharp as you can be. That is what we’ve prepared for, to be sharp and to expect everything.”
Mike Tyson: “I am just looking forward for this fight to start. When this first came to me I said there is no way this is gonna happen and then I watched him spar. I thought it was ridiculous too until I saw him spar, he hit a guy on the chin and he broke his ankle or leg. Listen man, if he can do that it is possible he can be heavyweight champion of the world. The power is definitely real.”
WARDLEY vs ADELEYE
Frank Warren: “This is mind-blowing! I think, between myself and Bob, we’ve done something like 110 years of promoting and this has blown me away completely and Bob said the same thing. I’ve never seen such brilliant promotion, I’ve never seen something so well organised. The venue was built in 90 days. What testament to the people behind this.
“His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, what him and his team has done has been phenomenal. What they have achieved here is to be respected and will go down in history as far as we’re concerned. This is the fourth Riyadh Season now we are in and who would have ever thought that we would have a British and Commonwealth title fight here in Saudi Arabia?
“It is just magnificent, yet again another first and what a fight it is. Two guys, both undefeated, 28 fights, both punchers. It is a cracking fight, there has been a bit of needle but that has all been sorted out now and you are going to see the real fight in the ring.
“These guys both want it. I have spoken to them both separately and I can’t tell you how much they know this is such an opportunity for them. It is a massive stage, this fight is going around the world, it is the main undercard fight and, for the winner, it is his chance to sparkle and get himself into the real, real big time.
“Who knows, maybe in the fifth or sixth Riyadh Season, he will be topping the bill here.”
David Adeleye: “It is a big event and I am grateful to be a part of it. On Saturday night I get to win four belts. I am just soaking up the atmosphere, I have never been in a fight this big before and I would like to say thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for having us and His Excellency. It is an honour. I am just taking it all in.
“Do I look nervous? I am not nervous, it is nothing new and I have envisioned it many, many times before. I look good under the lights so I just soak it up.
“All the opponents he has been in with I would do the same job as well. If I fought the people he’s fought I would have the same record. Like I said, on Saturday night the talking is done and we will see how tough he is.
“He is not the same as me. I see his mannerisms and how he carries himself and we just ain’t the same. What matters is fight night and what he does other than that doesn’t really bother me.
“What is going to happen when I take him into deep waters? I know he has never faced a banger like me. He gets drowned in sparring, he doesn’t know any stories about me.”
Fabio Wardley: “I’ve got two belts at the moment and I am looking to leave here with four. It is a special stage for a special night. There is a lot on the card to look forward to but I think the fight with me and David has captured a lot of eyes and a lot of people are very interested. I am looking forward to having a big night.
“I wouldn’t say he made me lose my cool [at first press conference], I think I had to just look at the situation for what it was and let people know that is not the way to behave and not the way to carry yourself in a professional setting. Especially not at an event like that where it was supposed to be such a big event and occasion to announce such a massive fight in the main event and us as well. There are certain ways to go about doing certain things and I had to let a few people know that is not how to conduct yourself.
“It is easy to look good when you are in the ring with a bunch of punch bags who are there to lose. You have not faced anyone of any worth, any level, so there is nothing there for me to look at and say ‘ah ok, maybe he has shown this or that’. There is nothing I have seen in any fights to make me consider that at all. It is all smoke and mirrors to me.
“It has been seen by the boxing community that there are flaws there and, when it gets hot, he thinks he knows how to swim but when he was drowning before he didn’t know what to do. Don’t get me wrong, he has got some natural abilities. He is hungry and ambitious, he is riding high because he hasn’t lost officially on his record. So there are things there, of course, to consider, but I don’t think he is my hardest opponent to date or the most technical opponent I’ve been in with. I think I have ticked off all the boxes with other opponents before him. It is not like I am making up random facts here, the proof of the pudding is on paper and you can see it.”
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