Tyson Fury says he has no interest in fighting Oleksandr Usyk or unifying the heavyweight division. Instead he is hoping to secure a crossover bout with Jon Jones after taking on Franics Ngannou next month.
The Gypsy King will go toe-to-toe with Ngannou in a highly anticipated crossover bout that will take place in Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season – the annual entertainment and sports festival – on October 28.
Boxing fans across the world had hoped to see the WBC title-holder fight unified WBO, WBA (super) and IBF champion Usyk in the first undisputed heavyweight contest of the four-belt era.
However, negotiations over the undisputed title fight – which would unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in March 1999 – fell through the cracks after the two parties failed to agree on the terms for a rematch.
Fans were hoping Fury would return to the negotiating table after taking on former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou. But, the Gypsy King has made it clear he has no interest in fighting the Ukrainian.
Tyson Fury says he has no interest in fighting Usyk or unifying the heavyweight division
The Gypsy King will go toe-to-toe with Francis Ngannou (pictured being trained by Mike Tyson) in a highly anticipated crossover bout that will take place in Saudi Arabia on October 28
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Fury said: ‘Nope, I am not interested in fighting Usyk. He’s a little Ukrainian dosser. That’s all he is to me. No interest in unifying the division. It doesn’t mean s*** to me.
‘All that stuff about unifying and whatever, it really doesn’t mean anything to me. I am looking for the biggest payday. Most of the time, Usyk doesn’t cut it.
‘He’s just a foreign person who doesn’t speak good English so you can’t really sell him. I am looking for probably another American. Probably looking to fight Jon Jones in a boxing fight.’
When asked whether he would ever agree to fight in to Octagon, Fury said: I would fight Francis Ngannou in the cage. I believe I would kick his a** in the cage as well as the ring’.
The Gypsy King went on to joke he would even fight Ngannou in a ‘bareknuckle fight’ for their trilogy bout. When asked where the third and final bout between him and the MMA star would take place, Fury said: ‘We’ll have a f***ing bareknuckle fight outside for the trilogy.’
Fury says he doesn’t care about the criticism he’s received for fighting Ngannou as he’s getting a ‘f***ing big bag’ on money to face the former UFC heavyweight champion on October 28.
The clash to find out who the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ is will be regarded as a professional fight and take place under the official rules of boxing with 3 judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system.
Fury has promised to go to war with Ngannou and knock the MMA heavyweight star out in devastating fashion. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from criticising the Gypsy King for opting for a crossover bout instead of a traditional fight with either Anthony Joshua or Usyk.
Fury is hoping to secure a crossover bout with Jon Jones after taking on Ngannou next month
Fans were hoping the Gypsy King (left) would return to the negotiating table with Usyk (right) after taking on former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou
Fury has come under fire for opting for a crossover bout instead of a traditional fight with either Anthony Joshua (pictured on the left) or Usyk (pictured on the right)
But, Fury doesn’t care what people think and told Mail Sport he ‘won’t feel bad’ when he is ‘cashing in his cheque’ and ‘drinking Pina Coladas’ with the ‘massive’ amount of money he receives from the fight.
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Fury said: ‘Haters are going to hate. I am getting a bag. I am getting a f***ing big bag too. So, I won’t feel bad when I am cashing my cheque in.
‘I won’t care when I am eating ice cream and marshmallows all day drinking Pina Coladas. I’m not thinking, ‘what about those boxers?’ and all that s***.
‘So, yeah, haters are going to hate. Everyone famous has haters. I’m sure Van Gogh had his haters too but I can’t name any of them today so that just shows you. We’ll be alright.’
Fans have also vented their frustrations over the fact Fury’s WBC title won’t be on the line for the heavyweight content in Saudi Arabia next month.
Fury has held the WBC title ever since he beat Wilder in February 2020 – winning their bout via 11th round KO. The Gypsy King went on to defend his title in April 2022 by beating Dillian Whyte via 6th round TKO.
Fury returned to the ring in December 2022 to face Chisora, who he beat via 10th round TKO. However, the 34-year-old has been out of the ring ever since – despite trying his best to tie down a fight with Joshua and Usyk.
The bout between Fury and Ngannou will be regarded as a professional fight, however, the Gypsy King’s WBC title will not be on the line
The WBC decided created a new special ‘Riyadh Champion’ belt (pictured above) which will be awarded to the winner on October 28
Fury will return to the ring on October 28 to face Ngannou in a crossover bout but the is WBC title will not be on the line despite the contest being regarded as a professional bout.
The fact Fury’s WBC belt won’t be on the line has frustrated fans further. However, the Gypsy King said: ‘You can’t fight for the heavyweight championship of the world on your debut.’
Fury went on to add: ‘Ngannou can win the lineal title which goes back to John L’Sullivan. That’s probably more important than a ranking belt. More important than a governing body belt.
‘It’s crazy to think, Ngannou – if he beats me – can be the lineal world heavyweight champion. That will be going back to the man who beat the man, who beat the man, who beat the man going all the way back to John L’Sullivan all those years ago.’
Following the criticism regarding Fury’s heavyweight title, the WBC decided to create a new special ‘Riyadh Champion’ belt which will be awarded to the winner on October 28.
This is not the first time the WBC have designed a new belt for a Saudi Arabian showdown. Fury’s brother Tommy beat Jake Paul in February earlier this year to win the Diriyah Champion belt.