Carl Frampton on what Francis Ngannou must do to beat Tyson Fury in heavyweight fight – ‘Easier said than done’

Former world champion Carl Frampton believes Francis Ngannou will need to “try to get close” if he is to beat Tyson Fury in their heavyweight fight.

The fight will “take place under the official rules of professional boxing, with three judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system”, although Fury’s WBC title will not be on the line.

Fury, 34, was victorious in his most recent outing, overcoming British compatriot Derek Chisora at Wembley in December last year.

Frampton retired in 2021 after a defeat to Jamel Herring but was one of the best fighters in recent British history, and he spoke to TNT Sports to discuss the now former MMA fighter’s best hopes.

He said of Ngannou: “He needs to try to get close. If he does get close, I know it’s boxing, but use his wrestling strength to rough him up a bit, throw him around a bit, try and impose his strength. It’s easier said than done when you’re facing Fury, who’s a monster of a man.

“If there’s distance at all created, Tyson Fury will just… I mean it’ll just be a field day. Get close, crowd him, use your strength and pray to god that you can land the luckiest punch you’ve ever thrown in your life.”

Ngannou spent seven years in the UFC, winning 12 of 14 fights, and left as a reigning champion.

Asked how difficult it will be for Ngannou to make the transition from MMA to the boxing ring, the magnitude of the task was not lost on Frampton.

He said: “It’s not easy. It’s easy if you’re fighting at a low level, but to go in from MMA and fight who most people would say is the No. 1 heavyweight on the planet in Tyson Fury as your first real boxing fight, that’s a tough ask.

“This is why the MMA guys are coming to boxing and not the other way, because they wouldn’t win, so it’s two different sports. In the Octagon, Francis Ngannou rips Tyson Fury’s arm off in about a minute, probably.”

One of the ex-pros that Ngannou has brought into his camp is former heavyweight boxing world champion Mike Tyson, and Frampton backed him to offer some help, but doubted it would be enough.

He explained: “It’s interesting, it’s sensible for Francis Ngannou to bring in someone like Mike Tyson. If you listen to Mike Tyson over the years, he’s a real student of the game. People think of him as a wild man, but he knows boxing. I think it’s a wise move for him. It’ll help Francis to a certain degree, but he’s on his own in the ring and there’s only so much influence Mike Tyson can have from outside the ring.

“It goes how Tyson [Fury] wants it to go. If he doesn’t want to get hit, he doesn’t have to get hit. If he wants to finish it, he can do so, if he wants to drag it out a bit, he can do that as well. If Tyson Fury wins, he does it however he wants to do it. I don’t want to be critical of Francis Ngannou because if it was in the Octagon, you would flip it on its head, but he can’t win this fight.”