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Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou's press conference attracted a who's who of the combat world – and Rio Ferdinand.
The former Manchester United and England defender was a surprise guest on Top Rank's coverage of the event in London. And fans were confused as to why an athlete with no noteworthy fighting experience was being asked for his opinions on the bout, which will take place in Riyadh on October 28.
There are seven weeks to go until WBC heavyweight titleholder Fury faces off against former UFC champion Ngannou in the ring. And analysts are hard at work attempting to discern whether the unbeaten 'Gypsy King' can outbox 'The Predator', who is largely considered the hardest hitter in combat sports.
Six-time Premier League champion Ferdinand, 44, previously made an attempt to conjure up a career in the boxing ring following his retirement from football in 2015. The transition never materialised into a fight after he was denied a pro licence, but the former centre-back nonetheless had his views on whom holds the edge in next month's battle.
READ MORE: Tyson Fury press conference chaos with Fabio Wardley left bloodied as security scramble
But no matter how educated he might have appeared on the matter, many spectators couldn't get over why Ferdinand was present in the first place.
"What Rio Ferdinand knows about boxing you could write on the edge of a rizla paper," wrote one critic.
"What the hell is Rio Ferdinand doing there," asked another, while numerous fans were quick to correct Ferdinand's suggestion that Fury's WBC belt was on the line (it isn't).
Who would you like to see Rio Ferdinand face in the boxing ring? Let us know in the comments section below.
Despite that gaffe, Ferdinand was far from uneducated on the matter and gave Fury his due respects as the more intellectual of the two. However, he did make sure to highlight Fury "will go down" if Ngannou manages to connect properly even once.
That's the view shared by many ahead of one of the clashes of the century so far, pitting two titans of industry against one another.
"With the size of these guys, when one of them connects, no matter where you're from, you're going to go down," said Rio. "And the power that [Ngannou] has got, if he gets hit on the chin Tyson, he will go down."
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"But I just think [Fury's] ring IQ, his footwork, his ability and his experience. I just genuinely believe that if this goes to an MMA discipline, Tyson gets beat. If it's boxing, Tyson doesn't get beat."
The bookmakers' odds would suggest those in the know are all in agreement about the likely outcome in Saudi Arabia next month. And now fans have heard it from the opinion they sought more than any other.
- Manchester United FC
- Premier League
- Boxing
- Tyson Fury
- Rio Ferdinand
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