Francis Ngannou’s boxing coach, Dewey Cooper, spoke exclusively to Daily Star Sport about Ngannou’s recent fight against Tyson Fury. Cooper suggested that Fury was fortunate the knockdown occurred in a boxing match rather than in MMA, indicating it would have been more severe in the latter case. Despite a close loss, Ngannou’s performance gained widespread respect. “We predicted the knockdown, Francis knew he’d be able to land punches on Fury, he’s just lucky we’re in a boxing spectrum because had that been an MMA fight, when he went down in the third round, it would have been the pound of the century.”
Cooper believed Ngannou won the bout and highlighted the fight’s historical significance had Ngannou emerged victorious. He also revealed Ngannou’s intent to pursue both MMA and boxing in 2024, regardless of a potential rematch with Fury.
The coach expressed that the knockdown could have been more impactful in an MMA setting due to Ngannou’s prowess in that sport. Cooper cautioned boxers considering a transition to MMA, particularly against Ngannou. “Any one of those so-called boxing champions that want to come to MMA, I’m not going to say it’s easy work but those guys will be light work for sure. In an MMA fight, Francis smashes all them dudes, they got no shot.”
Alongside his role of Ngannou’s coach, Cooper is the head coach of the Las Vegas Hustle of Team Combat League and with Season II of the league coming up in 2024, he explained why he’s so hyped for its return. “We expect excitement personified, energy and explosiveness, we have new cities, new teams and more fighters, it’s going to be even more exciting than last year, I’m looking forward to Team Combat League”.
