Just weeks before their highly anticipated crossover clash, Francis Ngannou has accused Tyson Fury of being a glove "cheat." The former UFC heavyweight champion will face off against The Gypsy King in a lucrative showdown in Saudi Arabia on October 28.
Ngannou accuses Fury of tampering with his gloves
While both fighters have been respectful in the lead-up to their much-awaited bout, Ngannou has raised eyebrows by claiming Fury manipulates his gloves before fights. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, the Cameroonian fighter stated, "He's very tricky with his glove. I think he cheats."
Ngannou's team plans to keep a close eye on Fury's gloves
Aware of the controversy surrounding Fury's gloves, Ngannou and his team have vowed to meticulously monitor Fury's fight night hardware to ensure fair play. The 37-year-old fighter declared, "We are talking about it with the team, and they’re like, 'Oh, there's the UK commission with the gloves. I'm like, 'Bro, we're going to get there, we need every glove to be checked.'"
Wilder's accusations add weight to the controversy
Ngannou is not the first to accuse Fury of misdeeds with his gloves. Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder twice accused the British boxer of tampering with his gloves before their rematch and trilogy fight. Wilder even claimed that Fury had little to no padding in his gloves during their 2021 bout.
Fury denies the accusations
Fury vehemently denied Wilder's allegations, referring to them as nothing more than "excuses." He stated, "I'm sure he'll have a lot of excuses to make, he always does, he's a sore loser. He got beat fair and square, and that's all she wrote for Deontay Wilder."
As the clash between Ngannou and Fury draws near, all eyes will be on their gloves, with the hope of putting any lingering controversy to rest.
