Tyson Fury kicked off fight week on a media offensive, blasting fans who criticize him for facing Francis Ngannou. However, confusion seems to reign as to why Fury is getting heat.
Some say it’s due to the vast gulf in boxing talent between “The Gypsy King” and “The Predator” – but WBN can confirm this isn’t the case – at least not from our standpoint.
Why does Tyson Fury get criticism for fighting Francis Ngannou?
The real reason Fury faces a barrage of disappointment for his tour to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Ngannou is down to timing.
Fury’s recent record of defenses and the fact he’s the current WBC heavyweight champion mean he shouldn’t be veering off his duties.
Had Fury recently defeated Wilder twice and had the admiration of the world shining on his back, as he did in 2021, some grace would have been given for the Ngannou fight.
However, Fury fought Dillian Whyte [granted this was his mandatory] and followed it up by giving his friend Derek Chisora a payday.
Many fans were already disillusioned with Fury over his on-off focus. One minute, he cared about being a world titleholder. The next minute, he didn’t. Sometimes, he wanted to unify all the belts, and sometimes he didn’t.
There was no clarity when it came to Tyson Fury.
And so to announce the Ngannou event when there are more questions than answers, and while there were at least ten to twelve other options for him, that was the real frustration.
Fury’s decision effectively put the division on hold.
Talks to face Oleksandr Usyk took a few months off. At the same time, Fury ended up completely dismissing a fight with Anthony Joshua despite offering him a fight twice the previous year.
Heavyweight frustrations
Everything was getting more soured as the weeks rolled on, with Fury vs Ngannou looming just adding to the frustrations.
Compounding that between top division talks falling apart is YouTube Boxing, something Fury’s brother is now part of. Those events don’t shine a good light on the sport and make the likes of Fury vs Ngannou harder to swallow when they occur.
Had Fury made the Usyk fight, traded with the Ukrainian twice, and then made a decision on his status dependent on the results, nobody would have begrudged Fury facing Ngannou [if he wasn’t the WBC champion].
He certainly would have gained much more support than he has, especially from the die-hard fans who see the heavyweight division as the biggest problem in the sport.
Once this weekend ends, the focus can go back to whether the Usyk fight will occur despite an agreement.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
