Tyson Fury has clapped back at Oleksandr Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk after the Ukrainian called for him to be stripped of his world heavyweight title for fighting Francis Ngannou.
Fury is the WBC heavyweight champion, and holds the one belt that Usyk currently is without. The pair were locked in talks earlier this year for an undisputed showdown, but a deal couldn't be reached and the former cruiserweight was forced to defend against his WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
The Brit insists he has taken on all of his mandatories, which while technically untrue for his career is factual of his run as WBC champion. However, he has only had one; Dillian Whyte, and is benefitting from a logjam atop the division that has delayed an eliminator between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr.
"Hey guys, little bit of clarification," Fury taunted in an Instagram story. "I hear there’s a lot of unknown, irrelevant people talking about how I should be stripped of my belt. Ha ha ha! Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I don’t have a mandatory.
"When I do have a mandatory it will be dealt with just like every other mandatory I’ve ever had. Until then, keep on hating motherf******! And enjoy little, little, little tiny bit of money you guys are making. All the big Gs in the house!”
Krassyuk had declared that the fight with Ngannou, which won't even go on Fury's undefeated professional record, is little more than 'a performance', and called for the belt to be taken from the Brit. He feels that with over a year since he last had a mandatory to defend against, Fury should be pushed into an undisputed fight with Usyk.
Do you agree with Alex Krassyuk or Tyson Fury? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
“You call it a fight? No, it’s a performance," he said during an explosive interview with Seconds Out. “It’s an exhibition, it’s not a fight. The fight is when you have the heavyweight undisputed [title] at stake, this is the fight. When you are fighting Ngannou you are earning money, entertaining fans, and the public, that’s all you’re doing.
“I don’t think it should be relinquished, no. He can be stripped for only one reason if he does not comply with the WBC rules. According to my understanding, he does. At least he did, he fought [Dillian] Whyte for the mandatory, and now they have to appoint a new mandatory because a new mandatory is not appointed.
“So, he is not actually breaking any rule of the WBC, but from a 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.”
