Francis Ngannou brought his coach tears of joy with the amount of money he paid him for his crossover bout against Tyson Fury.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou earned more in his boxing debut against Fury last October than he did in his entire MMA career. Ngannou was being counted out by pundits and fans before the fight but he put on a stunning performance as Fury needed to pick himself up off the canvas to win by a single point in a controversial split decision.
Eric Nicksick has served as one of Ngannou’s main trainers at Xtreme Couture ever since he made the permanent move from Paris to Las Vegas in 2019. The coach explained how he was brought to tears after checking his bank account the morning after Ngannou’s fight against Fury.
“It was the most money I’ve ever been paid by a fighter, it was unbelievable,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “It was more than I expected. Obviously, Francis has always taken great care of me, but it floored me. When I saw my Wells Fargo account that morning, it literally brought me to tears.
“That’s a true story. Literally brought me to tears, because he changed my life. Not only from a professional standpoint but a monetary standpoint. It allowed me a lot of financial freedom to allow me to be able to enjoy my coaching, enjoy being a dad and a husband.”
“I get to take my kids to Park City this weekend, my daughter’s 16th birthday. It helped us buy a new car. There’s a lot of things with Francis moving over to boxing, and the way he takes care of his team. He loves every single one of us, and he shows it. He takes care of us, and I couldn’t thank him enough.”
Ngannou is holding out for a rematch against Fury but he will be waiting until the final quarter of this year as the Brit is locked into a two-fight deal with fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Ngannou could be set for a return to the ring in March as he was recently named as a potential opponent for Fury’s domestic rival Anthony Joshua.
