Francis Ngannou’s mother has shared heartwarming stories about the mixed martial artist as he prepares to face Tyson Fury.
A few hours before the much-anticipated fight between Francis Ngannou and the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, Cameroonians and Ngannou’s millions of fans across the globe have been privy to what makes him special, from the time he was born till date.
Ngannou’s mother, Christine, is narrating his story while she is already in Saudi Arabia to watch her son perform live in Riyadh Season on Saturday, October 28.
Christine told the media that “when Francis was born, he was not like other kids; he did strange things all the time.” He did things that a 10-year-old could do, even though he was only 5. He was never mean, and he didn’t like to fight.”
Today, Ngannou is one of the world’s most celebrated professional mixed martial artists and UFC champions. He became the heavyweight champion in 2021 and defended his title once in 2022.
For the first time, he is facing Tyson, who is a prominent boxer in the world, and his mother says his courageous nature did not start today.
“He could fight with banana trees in the bush! Ngannou did all the strong things, but he didn’t fight. He took a 10-year-old’s bucket to get water when he was 5 years old. The wood he gathered was always in big lumps. He worked tough,” Christine said.
Ngannou’s mother is not the only family member speaking well about him. His younger brother, Jores, has described him as kind and caring. “As a big brother, he is the best. I lived in Batié, and he lived in Douala. So he paid a lot of attention to me when he visited me in Batié. Every time he comes, he buys little things for me, like cookies and other fun things for kids,” Jores testified.
He is also in Saudi Arabia to lend his own support to his senior brother, who is preparing for the “Battle of the Baddest”.
Ngannou is arguably the most talked-about Cameroonian lately, and to his mom, his passion for boxing started years ago. “He loved watching action movies all the time. Even when he is stopped from doing so, he will still try to. He talked about Mike Tyson all the time. At one point, he told his brothers to call him an American boy,” she said.
Currently, Mike Tyson is training Ngannou. He has been impressive in all his fights. Some fans are rooting for Ngannou but say Fury is one of the most prominent boxers in the world. The ‘Gypsy King’ is a two-time heavyweight world champion who defeated Dillian Whyte in front of a record 94,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022, and then beat Derek Chisora in December 2022. And – so – it will not be a walk in the park”, some have said.
