By Craig Daly: Promoter Frank Warren says Tyson Fury revealed to him that his backup option if his fight with Oleksandr Usyk falls through is former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
It’s the fight, or whatever you want to call it that WBC champion Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) has spoken about taking next in a hybrid fight inside the cage. Facing the popular Ngannou would make the 34-year-old Fury a great deal of money and seems to be his focus at this late stage of his boxing career. He’s going after the easy coin.
We just saw Fury peddle a pay-per-view fight against 39-year-old journeyman Derek Chisora last December in a match that resembled an exhibition.
In addition to the Ngannou hybrid fight that will happen next or in the summer, Fury wants to do a WWE wrestling match. Fury would likely take advantage of his large fanbase to purchase this event on PPV.
When Muhammad Ali fought Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki in June 1976 in a match that had special rules. Sadly, Inoki spent much of the fight on his back, kicking Ali in the legs repeatedly and not giving him a chance to land punches.
Many fans were furious, feeling that they’d been ripped off for paying for what they thought was going to be a fight but ended up an odd match that had no sporting value.
“That is an option that Tyson has mentioned to me if this fight falls through, but I don’t think it will fall through,” said Frank Warren to Secondsout about Tyson Fury facing former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next if his fight with Oleksandr Usyk fails to happen.
“That’s what we’re working on at the moment [Usyk], but we’ve got an open mind.”
Hopefully, Fury’s fight with Usyk gets made because traditional boxing fans won’t be eager to pay to watch him fight Ngannou in an exhibition match. Ngannou hasn’t competed in boxing, so it’s difficult to know how he’ll do.
If Fury agrees to fight with 4-ounce gloves, he could be in trouble if Ngannou nails him with a big shot. With those gloves, Fury would be susceptible to getting knocked out by Ngannou.
Even a long or slow count by the referee, which some believe happened in Fury’s first & third fights with Deontay Wilder, might not save him from being knocked out by Ngannou.
