Last weekend, the current UFC heavyweight belt holder Francis Ngannou took a non-standard step – he, as a champion, refused to continue cooperation with the main MMA league. The Cameroonian fighter was notably unhappy with the reluctance of UFC bosses to allow him to compete in boxing.
And Ngannou immediately described his opponents as the strongest in the Royal Division – Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua (by the way, Oleksandr Usyk was not on his list). After leaving the UFC, all doors open for Ngannou to realize his dream – a boxing performance.
With a question about Ngannou’s chances in a new sport for him, turned to Russian heavyweight boxer Sergei Kuzmin. Also in this interview we discussed:
“THE FIGHT OF BIVOL AND BETERBIEVA MAY BE WITHOUT INTEREST IN THE USA”
– Sergey, I would like to start our conversation about events in the boxing world with the first high-level fight in 2023 with the participation of a Russian boxer. WBC, WBO, IBF light heavyweight champion Beterbiev will face mandatory challenger WBO Yard on January 28 in London, which is unlikely.
– We saw Yard – in 2019 he boxed with Sergey Kovalev. And we know what kind of boxer he is. We understand what Arthur can oppose to him, but what the Briton can oppose to him is a question. I think Yard has little chance, but it does, because it’s boxing… So let’s not just rule out the UK boxer before the fight. For Yard, it’s an extremely important fight, he had such a chance, and I think he will try to show his maximum. But still… I see no chance. Yard is a mid-level boxer who is tough on Arthur. I think there will be a knockout somewhere before the middle of the fight.
– For several years now, at the mention of Beterbiev’s name, the name of WBA champion Dmitry Bivol has been mentioned in the hope that their unification fight will one day take place. Do you believe in this meeting?
– I was in the Russian national team at a very interesting time – I was with Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. We trained together, we ate at the same table. And it lasted more than a year in the main team. For both boxers, such a meeting will be very difficult – they are not inferior to each other in terms of skill. Arthur and Dmitry are both masters with a capital letter, boxers of different styles. And their fight will be really interesting.
In my opinion, now that the promoters and managers are doing some kind of promotion, they are looking at who can fight this fight. Arthur has promoter Bob Arum, he’s a big promotion star. But for some reason he is not promoting such a confrontation in the United States. Probably, there is no point in meeting two Russians, objectively the two best boxers in the light heavyweight division. I think light heavyweights, like heavyweights, can be considered royal. There are strong guys. In general, the interest should be on both sides. But the thing is, every fan wants to see this encounter.
– But in such a confrontation, the sympathies of Sergei Kuzmin will always be on the side of Dmitry Bivol.
– Of course, I will support Dmitry. But I will also be for interesting boxing. I know Artur, but with Dima we train a lot together, we are good friends, we live in the same city, many things bring us together in life.
“WE ARE SMART PEOPLE FROM ST. PETERSBURG, READY TO HELP EVERYONE, INCLUDING JOSHUA”
– Let’s talk about the fight already in your division, which has a much better chance of taking place. I’m talking about the fight for the absolute world heavyweight title between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
“I would like to believe that this fight will happen. It’s an interesting fight – boxers of different styles will meet. But I would prefer Fury. He has the set of qualities necessary for a heavyweight and he uses them skillfully. Fury feels no discomfort – a large or small opponent in front of him.
– Perhaps we shouldn’t compare Usyk’s encounters with another Briton Anthony Joshua and a possible meeting with Fury.
“I think the days of Joshua being indestructible are over. The same Usyk and Ruiz showed Anthony’s weaknesses. In the second fight with Usyk, Joshua came out as if to play tag… Well, what is it! It was just disgusting. This is not a fight! As if they agreed among themselves: “You don’t hit me, but I’ll caress you here.” You run away, and I, so healthy and so beautiful, will follow you and caress you” (laughs). Styles make fights. Let’s not pretend: with what the boxers entered the ring, they showed.
– In November, after Bivol’s victory in Abu Dhabi over the Mexican Gilberto Ramirez, the communication between Joshua and your coach Gennady Mashyanov entered the camera lenses, when the Briton asked a specialist to work with him. What do you think of such an idea?
“There is nothing catastrophic here. Gennady Yurievich is a highly qualified specialist. We have been working with him for about 14-15 years. And all the success is absolutely deserved, he is a great coach, he understands a lot of things both in boxing and in life. As a result, we see that Dmitry Bivol is the best of the best. Everyone recognized him.
Yeah, so Joshua approached Gennady Yuryevich, and he: “Come on, I’ll make you a champion.” After that, he told Gennady Yuryevich: “Let him study. Been there a long time ago and let him learn. Maybe I can teach him something.” We are smart and kind people from St. Petersburg, ready to help everyone (laughs).
“BOXING IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT LET Ngannou TRY YOU IT’S INTERESTING”
– Let’s move on to another great novelty in the world of heavyweights. Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou has quit the UFC and announced his desire to try his hand at boxing.
– We saw fights, how an MMA fighter tried to try his hand at boxing… I think boxing is not for everyone. Yes, everyone can do it, but not everyone can reach the highest level. I’m talking about boxers with IQ, not just physical strength. This is Ngannou… Everyone has a chance. Let Ngannou try, especially since he is promoted by the media. He has his own fanbase that he can bring to boxing. Why not? This will only go to the more popularization of boxing. In general, let him try.
“But Ngannou probably wants more than just trying.
– If we are not talking about fake fights… Ngannou is a famous fighter, so he has to fight tops in boxing – Fury, Wilder, Joshua. And I can afford, because I also consider myself a top boxer. In general, you have to fight not with some low-level fake boxer. After all, probably, Ngannou wants to declare himself in boxing, which the star moved from UFC to boxing. And it happens that they go from MMA to boxing and fly to knockouts.
– Ngannou immediately swung in fights with Fury, Wilder and Joshua. Isn’t it too early?
– It’s a publicity stunt. So here I am, ready to fight Fury, Wilder and Joshua too. Give them to me and I will win. But it’s the job of both teams, not just the boxers. After all, everyone has contracts. There must be interest on both sides.
– I asked more about the chances of the Cameroonian from a sporting point of view. Will he be competitive in a duel with the same Joshua, in my subjective opinion, the weakest of this trio.
“I think even with Joshua he will have problems.
– Would you like to fight with Ngannou?
– Of course, I would like to fight with Ngannou. Without hesitation, I would have fought, I would have shown him what boxing is.
– And you wouldn’t have any problems in the duel with the Cameroonian too?
” Of course not. Ngannou is a fighter, he climbs forward. It’s clearly MMA and UFC, but here boxing… A whole different sport. Boxing is a movement on the feet. Well, he’ll take two or three steps and stop. In general, it can be switched to a shuttle. I will not talk about the nuances, but there are many of them. Boxing is not about the muscles and the body, but also the brain has to be in the head.
– In conclusion, I would like to ask you about your career. When will we see you in the ring?
“I have big ambitions. I want to have at least three fights in 2023. At the moment there is no concrete information about the next fight, but my team is actively working on it. I am active and I train, I’m waiting for the opportunity to enter the ring to please my fans.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
