George Groves: “Fury could be on cruise mode for Ngannou fight”

“Fury family is a ‘pantomime’”

Speaking to Crypto Sportsbook Lucky Block in an exclusive interview, former WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves believes that Ngannou hasn’t got anything but a ‘puncher’s chance’ against Fury.

Groves also thinks that the Fury family is like a pantomime and if John Fury was to take on Mike Tyson he would get his head taken off in a matter of seconds.

Fury could be on cruise mode for Ngannou fight

George Groves reckons there’s a chance Tyson Fury will not have trained as seriously for former MMA fighter Francis Ngannou as he would have done for the likes of Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko;

George Groves: “Fury’s been dropped before in the past and he’s usually always got up off the floor to win. There is a chance he might not be switched on for this fight, he might not be taking it seriously.

He’s made the fight, we believe, or we’ve been told, with Usyk for all the belts. It’s the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing, so he might be looking past next weekend at Usyk, which might come around real quick.”

Fury won’t be looking for a quick stoppage despite dad’s claim

John Fury claimed his son could record his fastest ever knockout win against the ex-MMA fighter but Groves sees the fight getting off to a more methodical start;

George Groves: “I don’t think it’ll be the quickest knockout of Fury’s career, but then again I’m not sure what that record is. He’s not really known for rapid knockouts is he to be honest. He doesn’t really come out and just try to take someone’s head off. I do think there might be a cautious start from Fury because he knows the guy in front of him can punch. He knows he’s got a puncher’s chance.”

Fury family is a ‘pantomime’

John Fury continues his promotional antics, calling out ‘traitor’ Mike Tyson. Groves delivers a frank verdict on how a John Fury v Mike Tyson showdown would go, likening Fury family behaviour to a ‘panto’ show;

George Groves: “There are these characters in and around boxing. John Fury is great at what he does, if you believe in that sort of thing.

But between them, that family is more like a pantomime; it’s more WWE, it’s more table flipping. Especially now you’ve got the heavyweight champion in an exhibition fight out in Saudi.”

Tyson would take John Fury’s head off

George Groves: “If {Mike} Tyson did accept the fight with John, it means that he wants to win and he will take his head off in a matter of seconds you would think.”

Crossover fight has disgruntled boxing purists

A number of boxing commentators and fans have been riled by Fury’s decision to fight Ngannou rather than one of the upcoming or more established boxers and Groves can see why;

George Groves: “There are times where a pay per view event, whether it’s boxing or not, you’re sold a story and it doesn’t always manifest into that. Some of the promotion has been good to be fair. They’ve spent money on the production, the advertising; the promo videos are good, interesting. It’s great entertainment, but it always leaves that question mark of, is it just style over substance?”

Mike Tyson will have imparted wealth of boxing knowledge

Legendary former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been training the challenger in the lead up to the biggest fight of his career and Groves believes it will have boosted Ngannou’s slim chances;

George Groves: “He would be able to give him an awful lot of knowledge. Mike Tyson is an encyclopaedia of boxing. He’s from that era of studying tapes. He talks about it from an early age. Being a young boy, watching the old tapes of the old fighters, studying boxing – he understands boxing.

“Not everyone who understands it can articulate it and teach it. I do think Tyson can though; you listen to him talk, he’s at times philosophical, spiritual. He always appears to be listening intently to what Tyson says.”