The Ukrainian will once again have to rebuild his training
The fight between WBC heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury and ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou turned out to be resonant, its result was scandalous, and the consequences were bad for boxing. This is not so much about the unconvincing performance of the Gypsy King, considered one of the best boxers in the world, but also about the postponement of potentially the brightest and most anticipated fight in the Royal Division in the last 20 years between Fury and Usyk.
As we expected, the Fury-Usyk fight will not take place on the planned date – December 23 this year. And the Ukrainian became, perhaps, the only loser in the fight on October 28.
What’s happened
The Briton himself and his promoter Frank Warren were the first to talk about the possible postponement of the Fury-Usyk fight. Moreover, immediately after the end of the Fury-Ngannou fight.
The formal reason stated by Warren is dissection. Received by Fury in the fight on October 28th. It is difficult to argue with such a statement, but in any case, visually the Gypsy King looked intact and without serious damage.
The informal reason, which, of course, no one will voice, seems to be something else. Both Fury himself and Warren understand perfectly well that with the form in which the Briton entered the fight with Ngannou, he has nothing to catch with Usik. Getting into the right shape in a month and a half (we discard 10 days of rest after the fight with Ngannou, a media week before the fight with the Ukrainian) is unrealistic. So the best option is to postpone the fight with Usik.
Why Ngannou might be satisfied with the fight with Fury
It seems that everything is obvious here. The 37-year-old Cameroonian fighter, who had his first boxing match in the professional ring, gave the linear world champion and one of the most technical heavyweight boxers a beating. And even knocked him down.
Ngannou received good prize money and made a name for himself: Wilder and Joshua are already considering the possibility of fighting the Cameroonian. And this means money and opportunities.
Why Fury might be satisfied with the Ngannou fight
First, the Gypsy King won the duel. Even if it was a split decision, he kept his zero in the defeat column.
Secondly, he received a good check, which is also not the least important factor.
Thirdly, Fury could evaluate his form and conditioning before the most important fight for his legacy. As we can see, he assessed it quite sensibly and critically. In addition, he received the opportunity to “officially” reschedule the fight with Usyk. Which is what I took advantage of.
Why Usik cannot be satisfied with the outcome of the Fury-Ngannou fight
We wrote that the ideal option for the Ukrainian and for boxing fans as well is a quick victory for Fury without visible damage to the Gypsy King. This is a promo for the upcoming fight between Fury and Usyk. Neither one nor the other happened.
Now Usik’s main problem is adjusting his preparation. The training camp plan is laid out to the smallest detail, and getting to peak form is a clearly planned procedure. Yes, it’s possible that Usik’s preparation was now taking place in a retractive mode, but now it also needs to be adjusted.
Let’s not forget about another factor – the war that Ukraine is waging against Russia, because of which Usik’s team is forced to calculate many options every time with the location of the camp, logistics, and the arrival of the RIGHT sparring partners. This requires time, consistency and, of course, money.
The third factor is simple. Due to the failure of the fight with Fury, Usik will again be limited to one fight per year. The last time a Ukrainian fought more than once a year was in 2018. Yes, as previous fights have shown, this is not the most global problem for Alexander. But with age, and in February 2024 Usik will already be 37, it can manifest itself more and more clearly.
Will the Usyk-Fury fight take place in February?
Is not a fact. Three months is a serious period during which anything can happen. It is not clear whether Fury will be able to get into shape during this period, or whether his condition in the fight with Ngannou is the peak of his capabilities at the moment (physiology, age and lifestyle cannot be discounted).
But, perhaps, the most important thing: the other sanctioning organizations whose belts Usyk holds – WBA, WBO and IBF – have not yet said their word. If at least one of the two (Usyk held a mandatory defense under the World Boxing Association with Dubois) declares the need for mandatory protection during this period, it is difficult to predict the further development of events. Moreover, Eddie Hearn will be involved in the case, representing the interests of Hrgovic and partly Zhilei, who can push through the necessary decision.
On the other side of the scale is a serious contract signed with representatives of Saudi Arabia. These guys know how to conduct business and have accurately calculated/prescribed all the risks with serious penalties (which, by the way, Fury spoke about). So, we hope that the money and ambitions of the boxers will still outweigh, the fighters will be able to avoid injuries and we will see a super fight. Maybe in three months.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
