Fury Vs Ngannou

Everyone is asking the same question: Will this be the crossover fight that finally sees an MMA man upset the established boxer?

And very nearly everyone is giving the same answer: No.

Over the last several years, we've seen this story play out enough times that most fans are jaded as to the likelihood or even possibility of Ngannou pulling the upset. Most notably, Mayweather vs McGregor showed the combat sports world what to expect when a top-tier UFC guy takes on a boxing superstar in the squared circle.

Does Ngannou have a chance? Of course. Anybody has a puncher's chance, especially a guy who possesses, as Teddy Atlas calls it, the "great equalizer": power.  The question is whether or not Francis Ngannou will be able to connect his power with Tyson Fury's chin, before Fury does the same to him.

 And all indications say: No. He will not have that opportunity. And that is why Tyson Fury is such a heavy favorite. The guy knows how to box. He knows the fine art of the sweet science, and he also happens to have a world-class chin.

How do you connect against a guy like that, a heavyweight champion of the world, in your very first boxing match?

I think there's only one way Ngannou pulls it off: the element of surprise. If he goes in with an unexpected strategy, perhaps an overly aggressive style or a slick combination involving well-executed feints, he may get the clean shot he needs. But Ngannou seems like the kind of guy who wants to face you and beat you straight up, be the stronger man, not the slicker man, and so again, the answer for Ngannou fans is: No.

My prediction is Fury by TKO in 6.

UPDATE: Fury Wins a narrow split decision victory after getting knocked down by Ngannou in the 3rd round! Ngannou outboxes Fury in some rounds. Wow.

10 Miler - Weeks 2 and 3 Mostly Complete

 

Yuki Kawauchi would be proud.

My Dad and I got in a solid 5 mile run in the early morning dark under steady 52-degree rain this morning. It ended up being a very pleasant run, with core temperatures under control and very little wind to speak of.

This was supposed to be a 7-mile day in my training plan. A week of heavy travel for me has not quite derailed things, but left me behind where I planned to be. So I need to keep the focus and even make a couple workouts up in order to stay on track for a good performance in March. I am currently on track with everything but the following incomplete workouts so far:

• 8 total rounds heavy bag (Monday and Wednesday Week 3)
• A continuous 6 mile run (had a break in the middle of about 20 minutes)
• A continuous 7 mile run (only did 5 today)
• Core + 70 Burpees (Thursday Week 3)
• 2 miles easy (Friday Week 3)

I've missed quite a bit. On the bright side, tomorrow is Sunday. Since I accidentally took Friday off, I've already had my rest day and I should be clear to work out in terms of reasonableness in avoiding injury. Tomorrow morning I will shoot for Core + 70 burpees + 2 miles Easy, making up my last 2 missed bullet points. The continuous runs might be something I let go. It's a major weakness because I need to be able to run 10 miles in just a few weeks. But I don't have the time moving forward to throw in a random 7-miler midweek. We will continue with 8 next Saturday and see how it goes.

As for the heavy bag, my travel has led to not having access to this tool. I want throw in extra rounds this week to make up as many of those 8 rounds as possible this week, in addition to the normal 8 rounds that are already scheduled. 

So by the end of the week, God-willing I'll be able to cross off every workout except for that 7-miler (I'll count 6 as 6, even if it's broken up). It will be essential, however, to nail a continuous 8 mile run next Saturday. That means planning ahead in terms of gear, weather, time, and using the bathroom beforehand.

I hope to update you in seven days with news of a consistent and full week of training in the books. Then I can actually take a Sunday off! See you soon.

10 Miler - Week 1 Complete

 

        This is a phot of me training hard in my gorgeous Ohio wilderness trails. Just kidding.

Week 1 of training for my 10 mile race is complete! Three runs and various other workouts on the other days - I'm excited! There have been some pains and sore spots coming up, but nothing lingering yet. I suppose it's part of shaking the rust off. The highlight was definitely my "long" run Saturday (5 miles), where I'm pretty sure I experienced runner's high for one of the only times in my life. Some amount of endorphins are released in any long-distance run, but occasionally it seems to be on another level. I was closing the run fairly fast (for me) at the end of the 5 miler, and it felt good; when I stopped, I was breathing almost completely normally, as if I'd been out for a light walk. Very cool.

Week 2 is much the same as Week 1, with a 6 mile run next Saturday instead of 5. The long runs will go 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, with 10 being a Time Trial. Then I'll know where I'm at, allowing me to set up a more well-informed goal. My current thought is to go for sub-70 minutes in March.