Francis Ngannou's coach calls out Tyson Fury's dad John for boxing fight
Tyson Fury's dad John has been challenged to a fight by Dewey Cooper, the coach of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
John, 59, has been teasing a return to the ring for several months and even called out boxing legend Mike Tyson at the press conference before his son's crossover fight against Ngannou last October. 'Iron Mike' laughed off the call-out and John's name has now been on the tip of Joe Egan's tongue in recent weeks, with the Irishman calling for a Misfits Boxing clash between the two.
Cooper has been coaching Ngannou since the Cameroonian made the permanent move from Paris to Las Vegas in 2018. The former two-time kickboxing world champion, who is 10 years younger than John, told Mirror Fighting: “John Fury wanted to fight Mike Tyson, that’s a big fight and would make a lot of money. I don’t blame him, why not? If he called me out, I’d definitely fight him. I’m a coach now, I’m retired from fighting but I train and I can definitely train more if I’m ignited to do such.
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“I haven’t seen him fight because the only fighters I really watch are the legends that I grew up loving and the opponents of my fighters, so I can’t really say. I wouldn’t discount his ability because he’s Tyson Fury’s dad and Tyson is one of the greatest. I’m sure he can fight otherwise he wouldn’t be so confident in himself. I just need enough time to train to fight anybody, but if he wants a boxing fight I’d definitely take it. I would have crouse study him to see what he does well and try nullify that."
Logan Paul and KSI announce new partnership with UFC president Dana WhiteNgannou makes his second boxing appearance on March 8 when he fights former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Cooper has been out in Saudi Arabia for the past five weeks helping Ngannou prepare for the fight alongside the former UFC champion's other striking coach John Mbumba. The trainer admitted that he won't pay any attention to a fight against John until after Ngannou's clash with 'AJ'.
“I have a commitment to my fighters like very few fighters, I don’t sleep at night," he added. "I’ll train them all day, two or three in morning whatever they want to do. I’m willing to sacrifice my body for my fighters and there is no bigger sacrifice than what I do with Francis, he hurts me often. Everyday I’m there ready for him to work, so that’s my dedication and my commitment."
The credentials of Cooper were called into question by John at the Fury vs Ngannou press conference as he asked the American: "Who's that walking now? Who are you? Who is this man? Mr nobody, a cartoon character." Cooper fired back at John's taunt by saying: "You know who the f*** I am, I'm the Black Cobra. You know who I am."