First time he sparred Francis Ngannou against all advice last week, Australian Jackson Murray had two large bandages wrapped tight around his head.
And why?
“Still had four stitches in a cut,” explains the towering Sydney heavyweight who has gone undefeated through the first five fights of his professional career.
A fighter whose latest win, too, arrived only last Wednesday night, in Moore Park, when he defeated New Zealand tough Louis Marsters on the latest No Limit Fight Night card.
Yet three days after that?
Well, Jackson was sharing a Las Vegas ring with ‘The Predator’.
That former UFC heavyweight champ who only recently quit the company, signed with rivals PFL and then inked a $10 million deal to box WBC king Tyson Fury on October 29.
While much has already been made about Mike Tyson joining Ngannou’s camp for the Fury showdown in Saudi Arabia, Fox Sports Australia can now reveal Jackson has also jetted Stateside to join in with sparring.
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Dubbed ‘White Chocolate’, the 28-year-old southpaw has been hand-picked by Team Ngannou because of both his similarity in size to Tyson – he’s only five centimetres shorter – and ability to switch stances.
Speaking from Las Vegas this week, Jackson revealed the collaboration had come following recent discussions between his team and Ngannou’s head trainer Dewey Cooper.
“Marcello Bortone from my team got in touch with MJ and Derrick Harmon from Top Rank and eventually — through Dewey Cooper — we were able to organise for me to come over and help Francis prepare for Tyson Fury,” the fighter explained.
“I’ve always been told my style is similar to Fury’s, and having a similar height and reach helps.
“Ngannou’s team were sent some of my sparring footage which got interest from them as it showed that I can switch stances between orthodox and southpaw, which Fury is also known for.
“So now I’m happy to stay in Las Vegas for as long as Francis needs me.”
Despite only boasting five fights, Murray has been considered a strong heavyweight prospect ever since debuting back in 2021.
After 14 months out of the ring, the boxer returned last Wednesday night to beat Marsters via split decision, with two judges giving him the result 58-55 while a third went the other way, 57-56.
While the result was far closer than many had predicted, Murray worked hard after being dropped and also suffering a cut over his left eye.
So as for then, three days later, sparring a fighter who UFC president Dana White once suggested punches at the equivalent of 96 horsepower — or “getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can”?
“It was difficult sparring Francis so soon after my last fight,” Jackson said. “And I still had four stitches from a cut.
“So against all advice, I had two bandages on, wrapped my head with tape, applied vaseline and put on my headgear to get the opportunity.
“And I stayed well away from his right hand … he’s a powerful human”.
So as for his thoughts on how the Fury blockbuster goes down?
“Francis is a special athlete,” the fighter continued.
“Powerful.
“And he’ll be able to adapt to anything that is thrown at him.
“I can see within the rounds we have done so far, his team is putting together a clever game plan and he really can shock the world in this fight”.
Jackson revealed he had also spent time talking with Ngannou and was amazed by the story of a fella who was working an African sand quarry aged 10, jailed for entering Europe illegally and, for a time, lived rough on the streets of Paris.
“After sparring, Francis was telling me how he walked, on foot, through three countries to get to Morocco, then cross over into Spain to try and change his life,” he said.
“That mentality was inspiring as he did whatever he needed to do to get the outcome.
“It was special listening to his story to understand his mindset and dedication.”
Asked about his own most recent performance against Marsters the Aussie, he said: “After 14 months out of the ring and some hiccups along that period with my training, I’m of course happy with the win.
“However, I know — and I’m sure those who have been following me for a while know — that my ability is well beyond what I displayed.
“In saying that, on a bad night in the office I still showed maturity in my boxing and was able to beat my opponent on what I feel was one of his best career performances and I look forward to what is next.”
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Only last week, it was revealed ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson was also partnering with Ngannou to assist with his boxing crossover.
While Fury doesn’t believe Tyson can show his new charge enough over a few months to prepare him for an elite boxing match, the ‘Gypsy King’ still admits to being upset by the partnership – given he is named after the legendary US heavyweight.
“I think that it’s sad, actually,” Fury said during a recent interview with Sky Sports.
“The man that I am named after, a legend, has to go against me and then come out as a loser, having lost to a man who was named after him.
“I think that it’s sad and I think that he should be in my corner, not the losing corner, but business is business and I understand that it’s strictly business.”
He continued soon after: “No matter what he teaches this fella, no matter what boxing training he does, everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.
“I’m not sure who said that, but I know that’s true.
“They’ve all got plans until they get smacked in the mouth.”
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