Usyk’s team has not hidden frustrations this week with Tyson Fury’s announcement that he will be fighting MMA champion Francis Ngannou, branding him a “joker.”
The Ukrainian’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, even went as far as saying the WBC champion should be stripped of his belt due to inactivity.
“From a sports point of view he has to be stripped because he stays inactive for so long and he’s cheating people [by] announcing fights that don’t take place.”
Speaking to IFL TV, Usyk said Fury shouldn’t be stripped of his title but once again questioned why ‘The Gypsy King’ is not willing to face the top heavyweight contenders.
“I don’t think he has to be stripped.
It’s not my job to tell someone to strip him or vacate the title. I shouldn’t speak like that. He is a colleague of mine. Let it be a subject for some commission. I need a fight with him but my kids told me not to fight Tyson Fury because he’s not worth fighting.
The only reason I’m talking about Tyson Fury is because you are asking me questions about him. Doesn’t it seem strange he’s not fighting guys from the Top 10 of heavyweight boxing, but fighting a guy who has never fought a single round of professional boxing?”
That sentiment is one many boxing fans agree with, as well as plenty in the industry.
Next up for Usyk is a defence of his WBA, IBF, WBO titles in Poland on August 26 against WBA mandatory challenger, Daniel Dubois. The fight will be shown on TNT Sports pay-per-view in the UK.