The promoter believes that the former UFC champion will not compete with the world boxing champion
Promoter Eddie Hearn stated that the fight of the WBC heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3, 12 KOs) will harm professional boxing.
“I offered Anthony Joshua a fight with Ngannou, but AJ was not interested. However, I knew that Francis had a chance to fight the boxers. I think it’s terrible for boxing because there was a chance to have a fight for the undisputed title between Usyk and Fury.”
“I understand the business side of this event. Both have a chance to earn a lot of money. MMA fans seem to be pleased that Ngannou is getting a hefty sack. But boxing fans seem to be furious. There has been so much controversy with Tyson Fury lately. But he’s a great fighter and I don’t blame him for wanting to make a lot of money in an easy fight.”
“You can fight this fight a million times and the result will be the same. I’m serious, this is reality. You have a heavyweight champion fight against someone who has never boxed at a professional level. But you’ll be told about how hard Francis hits, how he used to be a boxer and all that.”
Fury and Ngannou will fight on October 28 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The WBC granted Tyson a special permit to fight the former UFC champion.
Fury has not been in the ring since December 2022, when he defended his WBC title against Derek Chisora. In April, Tyson planned to have a unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk, but the Ukrainian pulled out of negotiations due to contract disagreements.
Ngannou had his last fight in the UFC in January last year, after which he left the promotion. In May, he signed with the Professional Fighters League.
Source: Sportarena
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