According to Eddie Hearn, Tyson Fury’s upcoming fight with Francis Ngannou shows that the “Gypsy King” only cares about ‘money’.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury will box Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, in Saudi Arabia on 28 October, after talks collapsed between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year.
Usyk holds the remaining major titles at heavyweight, meaning a clash between the Ukrainian and Fury would have crowned an undisputed champion – the first in the division since 2000. Instead, Usyk will defend his belts against Daniel Dubois on 26 August, before Briton Fury boxes Ngannou.
“Tyson Fury turned down the Oleksandr Usyk fight,” Hearn, who promotes Anthony Joshua, told Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
“[He turned down] the most important fight in boxing to fight an MMA fighter, who’s never had a [boxing match] before in his life, in Saudi Arabia.
“We’ve got to be honest, Tyson Fury cares about one thing only: the money.”
Ngannou, 36, is widely seen as the most devastating puncher in mixed martial arts history. The Cameroonian’s professional record stands at 17-3, with 12 of his wins having come via knockout. Of those KO victories, eight took place in Round 1 – with three having been achieved inside the first minute.
He vacated the UFC heavyweight title this year while leaving the company over a pay dispute, before signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) – a rival of the UFC. As part of his deal with the PFL, Ngannou is allowed to box on the side, which he will do against Fury before making his PFL debut in 2024.
Hearn went on to criticise Fury’s resume, saying of the 34-year-old: “He’s beaten Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder (twice), that’s his wins.
Fury (left) will box ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in October— (Getty Images)
“He needs to beat Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, and then we can talk about him – as I believe he is – as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.”
Fury last fought in December, stopping Derek Chisora late to go 3-0 against his compatriot and retain the WBC title. The result also kept Fury unbeaten as a professional.
Meanwhile, Ngannou last fought in January 2022, outpointing former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title.
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