‘It’s a marketing ploy’ Francis Ngannou is a ‘very dangerous’ fight for Jake Paul’s health, Ngannou vs. Jon Jones at the White House is the perfect retirement fight, Tom Aspinall will land ‘much bigger’ paydays if he follows Ngannou into boxing

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, Francis Ngannou’s coach Dewey Cooper shuts down a Jake Paul showdown, calls for a Jon Jones superfight, and backs Tom Aspinall to leave the UFC. He has also vouched for a potential clash between Ngannou and Deontay Wilder with the ideaof it taking place in Las Vegas or somewhere in Africa.

Q: Has there been an approach for Francis Ngannou to replace Gervonta Davis as Jake Paul’s opponent?

Dewey Cooper: He had a fight lined up with a much smaller guy, one of the most popularnames in boxing, and it got cancelled. What would a master marketer do at that point? Of course you’re going to call out the biggest names in the sport; Francis Ngannou, Ryan Garcia, Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua. You’re picking the most popular names in all of fight sports, Do you truly think that if someone called Francis Ngannou with a feasible offer to make a fight happen, the contract wouldn’t already be signed? I think it’s a marketing ploy to keep people interested because the fight is eleven days away. He has to throw big names out there to keep interest. But none of those stars, if they really had an offer, would be quiet. I’m sure they’d all take him up on it.

I haven’t even talked to him about that fight because, in my mind, it’s kind of ridiculous. The fight’s eleven days away and not many people want to fight Francis Ngannou on short notice. And I don’t think Jake truly wants to fight him, that’s a huge mountain to climb. I’ve seen Jake train; he’s better than people think. But to fight Francis Ngannou is a very dangerous fight for his health. I wouldn’t want to see him get hurt like that. 

Q: Last time we spoke it was after some difficult things Francis went through. How is henow, mentally, physically, spiritually?

Dewey Cooper: I see him more centred and calm, taking things day by day. I can’t say he’s all glamour and glitz. Francis is a very caring guy with a lot of empathy. Deep down, he’s taking it day by day. He’s not “regular” again, definitely not. He’s getting through it and doing what he has to do, but it’s going to be there. Not just the accident, but his son. That’s going to be there. I’d say he’s progressing and going through it, but I don’t want to give the wrong impression by saying he’s feeling better.

Q. How far away are we from a Francis Ngannou retirement, or is the fire still burning?

Dewey Cooper: I definitely see the destination closing. It’s like driving on the highway and yousee the sign: next exit, rest area. I see that coming. But only Francis knows the answer. He can keep going. He could beat everyone in mixed martial arts and do serious damage in boxing as well but it depends on the opportunities. We all wanted to see the Deontay Wilder vs Ngannou fight, just to settle who the real puncher is and to have Francis face the three boxing kings of the last decade. I see the finale is closing in. Hopefully we’ve got at least two to four more exits before we reach that destination.

Q. If there’s one “exit” he wants before the end, who is it?

Dewey Cooper: If I had one wish it would be at the White House: Francis vs. Jon Jones, main event. Africa vs. America. The Trump dancing Jon Jones vs. “The Predator” Francis Ngannou. I would love that fight to happen. I just don’t see a way it could, but if there’s one more destination and the final exit, it’s that fight, Jon and Francis. Francis stops him. I know Francis can beat him.

Q. Deontay Wilder is a fight that's always talked about. Does it still interest you?

Dewey Cooper: The fight needs to happen because Deontay was a great champion. He’s known for knockouts and power. Francis has a similar reputation in MMA, remember the uppercut on Alistair Overeem. That punch was unforgettable. It’s the perfect clash: let’s see who hits harder, who can take more, who has the stronger mind. Deontay has a strong mind; Francis does, too, from everything he’s overcome. I’d love to see that clash in Las Vegas or Africa.

Q. Tom Aspinall’s dad said that when Tom’s UFC deal ends in a few fights, they mayexplore boxing. What’s it like on the other side?

Dewey Cooper: Boxing is less restrictive at a high level, especially regarding profit sharing. Every top MMA fighter with popularity like Aspinall, with the whole UK behind him, sees how big boxing is in the UK. He’s at home watching the O2 and other arenas packed, guys making $30 million, $40 million, $50 million and thinking, 

“I need that smoke.” Francis inspired a lot of people with what he did against Tyson Fury. Of course guys like Aspinall want to get in there; they've probably sparred top UK boxers. He should want that smoke, and he deserves to get it. The money is much bigger. Maybe MMA catches up, but today boxing’s business model is better.That’s why so many top MMA fighters want to do what Francis and Conor did - go box.

Q. Was the eye poke on Tom Aspinall intentional to slow him down?

Dewey Cooper: Definitely accidental. We prepared for Ciryl. Francis fought that fight on one leg, he blew his knee three weeks before. Had Ciryl employed his low kick, who knows what would have happened. That was the most stressful fight ever, we felt Francis should not have been in there. We were trying to get him not to fight. He couldn’t stand, couldn’t spar for three weeks; the knee was done and he still did it. Ciryl’s a sweetheart of a person and a hell of an athlete. He would never cheat, there’s no way that poke was intentional. it’s not in his character.

Q. Could Rico Verhoeven make it in the UFC?

Dewey Cooper: Rico’s trained with us; I’ve seen him and Francis in the ring doing drills. He’s incredible, the best kickboxer of this era. Big, strong, skilled. He can do anything he wants. I wonder why he hasn’t jumped into MMA. I’m sure he’d immediately be a UFC fighter. If Alex Pereira is at that level, and you’ve seen what he’s done in the UFC, Rico definitely can. Rico goes into MMA and dominates people 100 percent. Absolutely. He’s a champion, never underestimate a real champion’s pedigree.

Q: Why did Sean Strickland take aim at you?

Dewey Cooper: Sean Strickland can say what the f*** he wants to say. I could care less about what he says. It doesn't bother me. He can speak the way he wants to speak. His opinion does not matter one percent to me. If it did, there'd already be news headlines out there. I don't even want to get on that negative side. He says what he says. That has nothing to do with me, it's not my business, and he has no relevance or control in my life, and that's what matters to me.

I'm focusing on the positive things and doing what I do. I'm a real guy, I'm not some fake guy. I'm not a fake coach. I work hard every day, and I'm happy. But when I look at myself in the mirror, more importantly than anything else, more important than the cheers, the conversations, the interviews, and the money — I look at myself in the mirror every single day. And I'm happy, smiling back at what I see: the person I am, and the person that I've become, and the champion I am, and the pedigree that I hold, and the level of expertise that I teach.