Francis Ngannou Plans To Earn His Respect In The Boxing Community On Saturday

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou doesn’t think he has gotten the respect he deserves.

Ngannou is set to make his boxing debut on Saturday in Saudi Arabia as he takes on Tyson Fury, in a very intriguing matchup. It’s a fight many fans expect Fury to cruise to a victory, which Ngannou is frustrated by.

Ngannou believes no one respects him or his skills, so he plans to make the boxing community believe in him and give him the respect he deserves for his performance.

“Let’s be honest, I haven’t gained any respect from [the] boxing community,” Ngannou told co-hosts Dev Sahni and Andy Clarke during an open workout Wednesday night in Riyadh (h/t BoxingScene). “So, I’m not expecting anybody to respect me. I think I need to gain my own respect, to claim my own respect. You know, respect is not given. You don’t just walk around and demand for people to respect you for no reason. I think respect is earned. And I’m gonna earn my respect, whether it’s in the boxing community or life in general. That’s my goal, to earn my respect.”

Ultimately, Francis Ngannou knows he’s being counted out against Tyson Fury, but the former UFC champ believes he has the power to KO Fury.

“People have a right to think [what they want],” Ngannou said. “There’s 8 billion people on Earth, so you have to understand there’s 8 billion opinions. But there’s only one opinion that’s gonna matter there – it’s mine. So, people have a right to think. You can’t control people [from] having their opinion, you know? Yes, I’m going to fight. If that big shot comes, yes. If it doesn’t come, I really intend to fight properly.”

The fight is set to go down on Saturday, Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia with walkouts expected to be at 1 a.m. local time, 11 p.m. in the UK and 6 p.m. eastern time.

Will you be watching Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury?