Plans for Tyson Fury to face Francis Ngannou have received mixed reviews at best from the boxing public, with many questioning whether an undisputed clash between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will ever actually materialise.
It should come as no surprise that Usyk’s promoter has blasted a potential crossover bout with Ngannou, even going as far to say that ‘The Gypsy King’ should be stripped of his WBC world heavyweight title.
Speaking to SecondsOut at the press conference for Usyk’s fight with mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Alex Krassyuk said Fury vs Ngannou would be nothing more than a “performance.”
“Fight? You call that a fight? It’s a performance, an exhibition, it’s not a fight. The fight is when you have the undisputed heavyweight title at stake, that’s a fight.”
“When you’re fighting Ngannou, you’re earning money and entertaining the public, that’s all.”
“He’s not actually breaking any rules of the WBC, but from a pure sports point of view he has to be stripped because he stays inactive for so long and he’s cheating people, announcing fights that don’t take place.”
Although there has been no official announcement as of yet, talks between Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou for a fight in October are reportedly at an advanced stage.
Despite being known for his striking in MMA and undoubtedly carrying power, ‘The Nightmare’ has never had a professional boxing fight and there are few who believe he has the pugilistic prowess to cause any problems for Fury.
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren kept the door open to a showdown between his charge and Usyk in the new year, though fans could be forgiven for being sceptical at this stage.