Tyson Fury taunts Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter after call for him to be stripped of WBC title if he fights former UFC champion Francis Ngannou
Tyson Fury has sent an emphatic message to those calling for him to be stripped of his WBC heavyweight title for fighting UFC icon Francis Ngannou.
The 'Gypsy King' has held the organisation's premier title since dethroning Deontay Wilder in their February 2020 rematch, but he is yet to defend the belt in 2023.
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Last year, he knocked out mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte before stopping Derek Chisora in a voluntary defence at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.
It’s expected Fury will face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in an exhibition bout this summer, but not everyone is a fan of the crossover fight.
Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, is frustrated by the fact the Englishman has opted to face a non-boxer rather than his client who holds the three other major heavyweight titles.
“You call it a fight? No, it’s a performance, he told on YouTube.
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“It’s an exhibition, it’s not a fight. The fight is when you have the heavyweight undisputed [championship] at stake, this is the fight.
“When you are fighting Ngannou you are earning money, entertaining fans, and the public, that’s all you’re doing.”
The Ukrainian doesn’t expect Fury to relinquish his title but believes the WBC should seriously consider stripping him for failing to defend it.
“I don’t think it should be relinquished, no. He can be stripped for only one reason if he does not comply with the WBC rules,” Krassyuk added.
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“According to my understanding, he does. At least he did, he fought [Dillian] Whyte for the mandatory, and now they have to appoint a new mandatory because a new mandatory is not appointed.
“So, he is not actually breaking any rule of the WBC, but from a sports point of view he has to be stripped because he stays inactive for so long and he’s cheating people [by] announcing fights that don’t take place.”
Fury later issued a response to Krassyuk's views as he taunted the Ukrainian's team.
He said on his Instagram story: "Hey guys, little bit of clarification. I hear there’s a lot of unknown, irrelevant people talking about how I should be stripped of me belt.
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“Ha ha ha! Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I don’t have a mandatory, when I do have a mandatory it will be dealt with just like every other mandatory I’ve ever had.
“Until then, keep on hating motherf******! And enjoy little, little, little tiny bit of money you guys are making. All the big Gs in the house!”
Fury was supposed to face Usyk at Wembley Stadium in April but that fight fell through at the eleventh hour and both boxers placed blame on their potential opponent.
The 34-year-old also publicly claimed a contract had been sent to Anthony Joshua – it hadn’t – before trying to put together an all-British blockbuster with the former two-time world champion.
AJ opted to take a rematch with Dillian Whyte to prepare for a much-anticipated clash with Wilder which is expected to go down in Saudi Arabia later this year.
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