SHOCKY II

Francis out to prove flooring Fury was no fluke

- MARTIN DOMIN

FRANCIS NGANNOU has been here before. He has been the mixed martial artist chancing his arm at boxing.

He has been the plucky underdog whose principles saw him quit the UFC for a multimillion-pound payday. But he no longer has the element of surprise.

Few in boxing gave him more than a puncher’s chance against Tyson Fury last October. Even those in MMA circles saw it as a well-deserved cash grab.

But within moments of the opening bell, eyebrows were raised and opinions quickly shifted.

Few believe Fury took Ngannou’s threat completely seriously – his flabby physique from that near-disastrous night is gone and replaced by a slimmed-down version.

Fury saw it as a money- making move-around while he waited to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown.