UFC welterweight Matt Brown argues that while former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has some chance in his boxing match against Tyson Fury given his immense power, the likelihood of him winning is slim as boxing is a different sport in which Fury has practiced his whole life.
In many respects, Francis Ngannou has clinched a victory by scoring a major payday with his October boxing bout against Tyson Fury. However, the odds of the ex-UFC heavyweight champion clinching a win in the ring remain bracketed in uncertainty. Fellow UFC welterweight competitor Matt Brown is skeptical about Ngannou’s prospects, although he acknowledges the intrigue surrounding the former’s boxing debut. In his MMA career, Ngannou made his mark as arguably the fiercest smasher in heavyweight history. Nevertheless, he’s yet to have his maiden boxing showdown, and he’s poised to take on a superstar like Fury who is celebrated as one of his generations’ top performers.
Brown’s discussion on The Fighter vs. The Writer illustrates his doubts about Ngannou’s chances. He asserts, “This whole consensus that these guys have chances in there, and it’s not like he doesn’t have any chance at all.” Brown affirms that Ngannou’s credentials as a hard-hitter give him an edge, citing Deontay Wilder’s stint as an example. However, he reiterates that the essence of boxing matches differs entirely from fighting. He adds that, “It is not fighting. It is boxing. It is a fighting sport but all of your weapons are taken away except for the two that this man has been practicing his whole life with.”
Brown likens Ngannou vs. Fury’s appeal to fights like a hypothetical cage combat between billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The allure garners more interest than the actual skill sets that will be put on display during the bout. In terms of Ngannou’s odds, Brown concedes that they could be as high as 50 percent or as low as zero percent, emphasizing that the unknown element makes it exciting to watch. Furthermore, Brown contemplates whether Ngannou could possibly execute what would arguably be boxing history’s biggest surprise. Considering Ngannou’s exceptional striking power, he certainly has the capacity to take Fury off guard and score an electrifying knockout. However, Brown is aware that this possibility is incredibly slim in comparison to the likelihood of Fury overpowering Ngannou.
He concludes by acknowledging that although he can’t confirm with full certainty whether Ngannou will emerge defeated, the unpredictability of combat sports leaves some room for doubt. Regardless, he considers it unrealistic to assume that Ngannou possesses more than a tall hope of outclassing Fury. “Maybe he goes in there and proves us all wrong, but the likelihood of that is so slim,” Brown opined. “If we’re going to buy a pay-per-view based off this dude either landing this one big punch on one of the greatest heavyweights ever or he’s going to get demolished, that doesn’t interest me to watch it. There’s a lot of guys that can do that.”