Alex Krassyuk, the promoter of Oleksandr Usyk, was far from impressed by Tyson Fury’s showing against Francis Ngannou in the desert of Saudi Arabia.
His comments regarding Fury’s showing were stinging.
Fury was dropped, bruised and ultimately was forced to grind out a split decision victory over the former UFC champion Nagnnou; how impressed with their competence as a professional, considering Fury was his professional debut opponent.
Fury, who was dropped in the third round, caused panic in the arena that he could be on the verge of defeat, following the speculation that Fury was due to face Oleksandr Usyk on December 23rd. It now looks very unlikely that the undisputed heavyweight encounter will occur during the remainder of the year.
Krassyuk was far from impressed with the performance of Fury, insisting that Fury did not take Ngannou seriously and that this version of Fury, who was present on Saturday evening, was not the version which Usyk wanted to face.
“He didn’t treat the guy seriously,” Krassyuk said of Fury in an interview with SecondsOut. “His performance last night does not show us anything serious for our fight with Usyk. It means that Usyk should not look at this Tyson Fury because this version of Tyson Fury is not the one that we want to beat. We want a different Tyson Fury.
“We want him to take rest, to work and to come back at his top. That’s the guy we want to beat. This version we had last night is a sin to fight with a man like that.”
Speculation remains surrounding the feasibility of the December 23rd speculated date between Fury and Usyk, which would ultimately decide who will be the heavyweight division’s premier heavyweight and, ultimately, undisputed champion.
Krassyuk, when speaking to ProBox TV and Boxing News, dismissed comments from Frank Warren, who promotes Fury alongside Top Rank, that the December 23rd date is no longer in play.
“We have a contract – and the contract says that the fight has to take place on December 23rd, no matter what.”
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger has reported that there are talks between all parties surrounding the contest that the undisputed heavyweight encounter could very well, in fact be switched to February of 2024. A date switch would allow Fury to recover from his meeting with Ngannou, who, despite victory, was sporting bruising on his left eye alongside a minor cut to the forehead of the ‘Gypsy King.’
