Tyson Fury moves ahead to perhaps the most significant fight of his professional career after an out-of-form display in a crossover fight that most thought he would come through without breaking a sweat.
Fury calls Francis Ngannou – the boxing debutant that dropped him and took their bout to the scorecards – his toughest fight in a decade.
The post-fight conversation has had two clear subjects – how impressive Ngannou was against the odds, and how off-form Fury seemed.
Regardless, he took the win by split decision and now is set to fulfil his signed contract with Usyk, likely in February 2024 but not yet made official.
Chris Eubank Jr was previously of the opinion that Fury was ‘too big’ for Usyk, but told Seconds Out that if the Brit fights in the same form as he did against Ngannou he will lose.
“I think that that will probably light a fire under his a**e. [He] needs to get [his] stuff together, because if [he] goes in there against Usyk like against Ngannou, there’s no way [he] can win.”
Asked if his view on the undisputed fight has changed, Eubank said yes.
“For sure, now Fury is probably an underdog.”
Whilst the odds have shortened slightly in the UK, fury still finds himself favourite for the four-belt fight.
His Ngannou performance has likely done a lot for the confidence of Usyk’s side though, who even went as far as saying they don’t want to beat ‘that version’ of the Brit for fear of getting no credit.