"Nothing over than a payday" - Former champion gives emphatic prediction for Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou

Bernard Hopkins has weighed in on Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou.

Later this month in Saudi Arabia, 'The Gypsy King' will return to face 'The Predator'. The ESPN pay-per-view headliner is a non-title, ten-round affair. However, that doesn't mean that there's no importance to the bout itself.

Their clash will be the first time in combat sports history that boxing's lineal heavyweight champion will meet the UFC's. Furthermore, Ngannou is currently the only thing standing between Fury's highly-anticipated fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

That fight with 'The Cat' is currently set for late December, also in Saudi Arabia. The title unification will produce the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis did so over two decades ago. Some have stated that Fury booking the fight with Usyk so close to Ngannou, shows a lack of respect for the latter.

Bernard Hopkins believes that the lack of serious attention paid to Francis Ngannou is alright. Speaking in a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, 'B-Hop' was asked about the upcoming heavyweight bout.

There, the former champion stated that Ngannou likely won't make the halfway mark. Speaking on the podcast, Hopkins stated:

“This does nothing other than a payday for Tyson Fury. I bet everything I love on Tyson Fury... It’s entertainment on a high level because of Tyson Fury. Fury gets the knockout within five rounds.”

See his comments in the video below (1:50):

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Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: Trailer released for heavyweight bout

The official Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou trailer has now been released.

The heavyweight pay-per-view main event is one of the biggest fights left in 2023. While 'The Gypsy King' is currently a massive betting favorite for the bout, it does have some historical value to it.

Furthermore, given the recent fight announcement with Oleksandr Usyk, there are also genuinely interesting stakes on the line. With that in mind, the ESPN pay-per-view bout is a massive one, especially for the sport of boxing.

With a fight like Fury vs. Ngannou, it's only fitting that there's a cinematic trailer released for it. Earlier this week, the two heavyweights took to social media to drop the video clip.

The promotional video sees the two powerful fighters showing their power in different ways to their opponent. While there are questions on if the bout itself will be competitive, there's no doubt that the trailer is a lot of fun.