RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – OCTOBER 28: Oleksandr Usyk searches previous to the Heavyweight battle in between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou at Boulevard Hall on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
October 31, 2023 7:00 pm ET
Tyson Fury had a close call, however so did Oleksandr Usyk
Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, won a close split choice versus Francis Ngannou this previous Saturday in Saudi Arabia. This was a crossover boxing match in between Fury, who’s thought about by lots of the very best heavyweight fighter of his generation, and Ngannou, a previous UFC heavyweight champ who had actually never ever boxed expertly.
Numerous anticipated this to be a simple defend Fury, however Ngannou stunned the world by knocking him down and bruising him throughout their 10-round battle. Numerous were on the edge of their seats offered the capacity of a huge upset playing out. For Usyk, it was a various story.
“The only ones who were stressed were me and my group,” Usyk informed Seconds Out
Usyk has actually long been anticipated to deal with Fury to identify who’s the indisputable heavyweight champ, as Usyk holds the WBA and WBO titles. It was revealed that the 2 were lastly going to battle next after the Ngannou match, and he practically saw that mega battle escape in realtime.
“It was motivation, ‘Move! Jab, jab! Please!,'” Usyk stated, remembering rooting for his future competing Fury while ringside. “It was all words of motivation, specifically eagerly anticipating the next battle. I desired him to make it through it so we can lastly have our own battle.”
Fury and Usyk remained in speak to combat Dec. 23. Offered the knockdown and a cut sustained by Fury, it appears not likely that the battle will go down before the end of this year. Usyk confesses he was a bit annoyed by the circumstance.
“They’re utilizing any reason to blame me for not being prepared, and they keep extending, however that isn’t the case,” Usyk stated. “Fury needs to appear and needs to combat. Now they’re stating that Tyson may not be prepared for it, so the tables have actually turned. Possibly consider they’re the ones that are talking excessive, and possibly absolutely nothing is going to take place.”
For more on the match, check out MMA Junkie’s occasion center forFury vs. Ngannou
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