Francis Ngannou’s trainer, Dewey Cooper, has revealed that Mike Tyson was present only “a couple times” during the 16-week training camp for Ngannou’s fight against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Ngannou, a former UFC champion, caused a seismic shock when he dropped Fury on his way to a split decision defeat in a close fight against the WBC heavyweight champion.
After the fight, Mike Tyson lifted Ngannou’s hand aloft, but Cooper revealed during an interview earlier this week that the heavyweight great was not as heavily involved in Ngannou’s preparations as it might have seemed to some.
“He was only there a couple times,” Cooper said. “Mike Tyson talks to Francis often, and that’s what matters. The support of a great guy like Mike Tyson – he did come through a few times throughout the training camp, and that helped a lot.”
Social media videos of Tyson taking Ngannou on the pads and coverage from broadcasters gave the impression that the boxing legend was a mainstay in the UFC star’s training camp.
