By Canadian Press

Tyson Fury tries to provoke Francis Ngannou at weigh-in before Saudi Arabia fight

Oct 27, 2023 | 2:11 PM

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Tyson Fury compared himself to Novak Djokovic after going face-to-face with Francis Ngannou at their weigh-in on Friday.

The towering Brit dismissed the punching threat posed by Ngannou, a former UFC star who will make his professional boxing debut Saturday at age 37.

“It’s like a table tennis champion facing Djokovic in the Wimbledon final — totally different,” the WBC heavyweight champion said.

The 35-year-old Fury weighed-in at 277.7 pounds while his Cameroonian opponent was 272.1 pounds after both men stepped on the scale in street clothes.

Moments later, Fury pushed his forehead into Ngannou, who responded with a chest-bump to give himself some space.

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“I have played this game so long. This can’t get to me. It’s part of the game,” Ngannou said of Fury’s antics.

Both fighters predicted a quick evening on Sunday.

“We’re going to take a couple of minutes at the beginning, but I think this fight will end very quick,” Ngannou said.

Fury, the self-described “Gypsy King,” will earn a reported $50 million paycheck for the fight in the Saudi Arabian capital.

It’s a 10-round fight and will count as an official bout, according to the WBC. Fury’s belt will not be at stake, though, on the off-chance he is beaten.

“I’m going to make it nice and short for him,” Fury said.

Fury said he’ll take a week off afterward before discussing a fight with Oleksandr Usyk to unify all of the major heavyweight boxing titles.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The Associated Press