Chinese heavyweight criticizes “Gypsy King” for poor performance against non-professional boxer
Chinese heavyweight, interim WBO belt holder Zhang Zhilei criticized the WBC title holder Tyson Fury for his fight with the ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
“Honestly, I give the victory to Francis Ngannou, given the knockdown in the third round. Throughout the fight, he threw stronger punches and was more aggressive. Fury didn’t hit much. For some reason, he moved back and controlled the distance with his jab. I think it’s a disgrace to professional boxing.”
“I believe that only Tyson Fury and his camp know the reason for his poor performance. Perhaps he underestimated his opponent or was poorly prepared. We do not know. Only Tyson knows what happened, but frankly I think it’s bad for boxing.”
“People like me train hard every day for boxing. We want to show professional performances. What Fury did last night is bad for boxing. There may be rich people behind it, but overall it’s bad for the sport.”
Let us remind you that on the night of October 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fury defeated Ngannou and won the Riyadh champion title. The fight, according to boxing rules, lasted all the allotted 10 rounds, following which Fury won by a split decision: two judges gave the victory to the Briton, and the third to Ngannou. In the third round, Francis knocked down Tyson, but the Briton managed to return to the fight.
Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis called his compatriot’s victory “lackluster.” Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Ngannou deserved to win. British heavyweight Dereck Chisora and Ngannou’s trainer Dewey Cooper are of a similar opinion.
Fury intends to fight his next fight with WBO/WBA/IBF/IBO world champion Alexander Usik. The British promoter Frank Warren said that he cannot yet name the exact date of the fight between Usyk and Fury. The Briton suffered a cut and will need time to recover.
Most likely, the unification match will take place in early 2024. At the same time, the Ukrainian champion insists that, according to the contract, the fight should take place in December. He is echoed by promoter Alexander Krasyuk.
Source: Sportarena
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