Otto Wallin had Tyson Fury in danger due to a severe gash when the pair fought in 2019, and now the heavyweight contender has said his former opponent is ‘difficult to work with.’
The pair faced off when Fury was on the rebuild following his return to the ring after mental health struggles. Wallin famously caught The Gypsy King with a couple of solid punches that opened up a pair of large cuts above his eye.
Over the course of the 12 rounds, the ringside doctor kept a close eye on the wounds, but Fury managed to see out the fight to take unanimous points win.
In light of how hard it has been for Fury to find an opponent since besting Derek Chisora in London last December, Wallin has come forth to Rekatochklart with his views on why negotiations keep breaking down.
“Now, I’m not involved in these negotiations that he’s dealing with, of course, but if you look from the outside, it seems like Fury is playing around too much and making everything more difficult. He is certainly difficult to work with; he contradicts himself all the time on Instagram and in interviews.
To me, it seems like Fury is the one who’s the problem. Usyk, whom he was supposed to face, already has a match; he’s going to fight Danny Dubois in August. Fury still hasn’t boxed – he fought against Derek Chisora in December, he could have easily had at least one fight already and defended his title. But he hasn’t.
He keeps saying that he has tried to set up fights with everyone, but no one wants to fight him. I don’t think anyone believes him when he says that. He seems very difficult to work with if I’m being honest. I think he’s the one throwing a spanner in the works for himself.”
Fans and many in the sport believe Fury will be fighting UFC’s former heavyweight star Francis Ngannou next, with promoter Eddie Hearn having heard it will be exhibition rules. No official announcement has been made as of writing.