Former WBC cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew, has branded the upcoming fight between between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou a ‘freak show’.
Fury was expected to take on Oleksandr Usyk this year, but failed negotiations led to the collapse of the proposed undisputed title clash, leaving both men without an opponent.
Usyk has since moved on and will make a mandatory defence of his unified title next month, as he takes on Daniel Dubois in Poland.
Meanwhile, Fury attempted to do the same, but couldn’t agree terms with any of the recognised title contenders, instead opting to challenge ex-UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, in a crossover clash.
Like many fans of the sport, Bellew dismissed the event as a mismatch, but admitted that he will still tune in to watch the fight, in an interview with JOE.
“It’s a freak show, not a boxing match. This guy is just a big, huge, strong unit, but there is loads of them in Wetherspoons every Friday and Saturday night. I’m not going to lie, I’m going to watch it, I’m intrigued. Put this into context, this man is having his first ever professional boxing match of his life, and he is fighting the heavyweight champion of the world.
Make no mistake, if any boxer was to try and get in an Octagon or a cage with Francis Ngannou, then he would absolutely tear them apart, and I’m pretty sure that he is capable of tearing hands or feet or any limb off your body, he is that strong. It’s just that mixed martial arts and boxing are two completely different sports. It’s like saying rugby and football are similar because they are both played with a ball.”
"It's not a boxing match. Ngannou is a big unit, but there are loads of them in Wetherspoons every Friday and Saturday night." 😬@TonyBellew on @Tyson_Fury vs @Francis_Ngannoupic.twitter.com/jgWdyoer6w
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) July 17, 2023
Whether the fight will count towards either mans professional boxing record has yet to be confirmed, but it seems that Fury’s lone outing of 2023 will be against the Cameroonian debutant.