The boxing world and beyond was delighted to finally get confirmation that the undisputed heavyweight clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is finally on for the end of this year or the start of next, but there is one man who can still very much throw a spanner in the works.
On October 28, former MMA champion turned boxing novice Francis Ngannou will step into the ring with Lineal and WBC champion Fury in a 10-round fight in Riyadh. Though very few outside of his own team are predicting it, a win for Ngannou would surely derail Fury’s hopes of battling it out for undisputed status with Usyk.
And that is the thinking behind a recent Tweet from Ngannou who questioned how long a boxer must take out of the ring following a knockout loss.
“I don’t know what’s the minimum medical suspension in boxing but I really don’t understand how Tyson can fight in December after what’s going to happen on 10/28”
I don't know what's the minimum medical suspension in boxing but I really don't understand how Tyson can fight in December after what's going to happen on 10/28 🤔#FuryNgannou
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) September 30, 2023
Cameroonian-Frenchman Ngannou is the self-styled Baddest Man on the Planet and, ironically enough, is being trained by Mike Tyson, who is the original Baddest Man on the Planet. Should the two be able to engineer something spectacular and get Ngannou close enough to Fury to land one of his heavy blows, the first undisputed fight in 24 years would fall by the wayside.