Tyson
Fury would have preferred to take things one step at a time,
but he says his hand was forced in this case.
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Fury (33-0) is set to take on former
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis
Ngannou in a crossover boxing superfight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. Hardly a month ahead of the matchup Fury’s team
announced that “The Gypsy King” will take on Oleksandr Usyk (21-0)
in December or January to determine the undisputed heavyweight
champ.
For many the Usyk bout announcement seemed dismissive of Fury’s
upcoming clash against “The Predator.” Fury claims he was
displeased when the news dropped and claims to have played no role
in it whatsoever.
According to Fury, who
appeared this week on “The MMA Hour,” it is the “paymaster” who
is in control of such decisions.
“It wasn’t my choice. I would never in a million years do that. But
the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the
money, they’re in control. They’re the promoters of the event. So,
the paymaster does what the paymaster wants, basically.”
“But if it was up to me, I would have never, ever, ever done that.
Ever. Because I never count chickens before they hatch. Ever. I
wasn’t happy at first for them to announce it, but there was a lot
going on in the background. For me, I don’t concentrate on any
other fight other than Saturday night. What happens in the future
stays in the future. I’m living for today and this moment.”
Although Fury might be laser-focused on his upcoming opponent,
there is no denying the WBC champ’s status as an overwhelming
favorite over boxing neophyte Ngannou. However, “The Gypsy King”
isn’t paying much heed to what the bookmakers or pundits have to
say.
“You can’t listen to the betting odds, you can’t listen to what the
pundits say, or what the boxing people or anybody, because they’re
not in there on the night. And if you start listening to people who
are not boxing, then that’s the time you fail. I don’t take anybody
lightly.”