MMA

FRANCIS NGANNOU has shut down a fight with Anthony Joshua to shift his focus to a different opponent. Ngannou amazingly dropped Tyson Fury in his boxing debut but controversially walked away with a points loss in Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou has shut down a fight with Anthony Joshua in DecemberCredit: Reuters
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn put him forward to fight NgannouCredit: Getty
The consequence of the crossover clash has seen Fury’s undisputed title bout with Oleksandr Usyk moved from December 23 to February.
But Saudi boxing bosses are still planning a huge event before Christmas and now want Ngannou, 37, to headline it.
So promoter Eddie Hearn put Joshua’s name forward to face the ex-UFC champion.
But Ngannou rathers a rematch with Fury, 35, and would be willing to sit out until the title unification with Usyk, 36, to do so.
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He told TMZ Sports: “I would be willing to wait.
“I know that they are going to fight, they had a contract already, so they are going to fight sometime in February instead of December 23, which is my fault.
“I shouldn’t have cut him. He would’ve fought December 23, and maybe we would’ve run it back early next year.”
Ngannou ruled out returning next month and suggested a fight with Joshua would have to wait until he rematches Fury.
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He added: “First of all, it’s too soon. Secondly, my focus, as boxing is concerned, is a rematch with Tyson.
“That’s the most important thing for me right now, everything else for boxing comes after.”
Promoters of both Fury and Usyk have confirmed the historic first four-belt heavyweight unification has been postponed till February.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to fight in FebruaryCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY has been told his “damaging” trilogy series with Deontay Wilder has “changed” him. The heavyweights first shared the ring in 2018, with Fury being dropped twice but still being deemed unfortunate to walk away with a draw.
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury shared a trilogy seriesCredit: Getty
They rematched two years later with Wilder this time tasting the canvas before being stopped in round seven.
The rivals arguably saved the best till last with their October 2021 trilogy, which Fury won after being dropped twice and scoring three knockdowns himself.
But after being floored by ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou and walking away with a controversial points win, Wilder’s coach Malik Scott insisted the trilogy has taken its toll.
Scott told FightHype: “Even Fury believes the Deontay Wilder fights changed him.
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“You don’t have three fights with Wilder and it doesn’t change you. Every fight he’s had with Deontay, these weren’t one or two-round fights.
“He’s gone over 24 rounds with the hardest puncher in the history of the sport.
“People are highlighting the times he got knocked down, but what about the punches he was taking in the fight, taking good shots and coming back.
“Those shots are damaging too.”
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Fury, 35, now approaches the biggest fight of his career for the undisputed crown against Oleksandr Usyk, 36.
The historic first ever four-belt unification was set for December 23 but having been given the fight of his life against Ngannou, 37, it has been delayed till February.
And Scott believes the Gypsy King is on the decline as he said: “He’s 35 years young but to me Fury has put a lot of wear and tear on his body.
“Not just the Deontay fights, early on in his career he took damage in the first [Derek] Chisora fight, he was knocked down with [Steve] Cunningham.
“The gym, he’s always had high-quality sparring. He’s 35 but father time is undefeated.”
Francis Ngannou knocked down FuryCredit: Getty More

OLEKSANDR USYK’S promoter said the undisputed title fight with Tyson Fury will be confirmed “next week”.The pair of heavyweight champions have signed for the division’s first ever four-belt unification bout.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to fight nextCredit: Getty
But it was initially scheduled for December 23 in Saudi Arabia, just eight weeks after Fury shared the ring with Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou went on to astonishingly drop the WBC champion and was unfortunate to walk away with a controversial draw.
Fury, 35, was left black and blue following the crossover clash and despite facing off with Usyk, 36, straight after, the title bout has been delayed as a result.
Ukrainian promoter Alex Krassyuk spoke out to give an update on the revised date which is due to be revealed as early as next week.
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He told Boxing News: “He’s absolutely ready to go and he knows how to deal with Tyson. That’s why I feel confident, that’s why I feel relaxed about this fight.
“The only thing that I’m really concerned about is to make this fight happen.
“In the contract, it was December 23, but it’s a matter of common sense and common reason.
“If a fighter isn’t ready to go, you cannot make him. We would rather stay flexible, stay relaxed.
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“We have settled already on the new date and next week, we’re going to announce it, hopefully, of course.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren hinted the new date will be in February as he defended the postponement.
He said to SecondsOut: “He’s not going to be ready on the 23rd. It’s not that he’s too hurt.
“Listen, he’s been in a camp for 12 weeks leading up to the fight. He’s a professional boxer at the highest level.
“He fought a guy who was an unknown quantity who actually turned out to be a real good competitor.
“More importantly he’s had a child born in that period of time, a new son, has spent no time with him, and had it been what the so-called opinion was, that it would be over in one or two rounds, the 23rd I think would’ve happened but it didn’t.
“It was a harder than usual night for him and he needs to go and let his body rest up from that camp.
“He needs to let his body recuperate and get back into his camp. So the fight gets postponed for two months. It’s not a big deal.”
Francis Ngannou knocked down FuryCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY and Francis Ngannou’s pay-per-view numbers were described as “TERRIBLE” by an insider.The heavyweight kings of boxing and MMA collided in Saudi Arabia in a huge crossover clash aired on PPV internationally.
Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou on pointsCredit: Reuters
Heavy favourite Fury, 35, was dropped and left stunned during the ten-rounder but controversially walked away with a points win over Ngannou, 37.
Despite the excitement of the bout, it failed as a PPV blockbuster, according to professional wrestling and MMA reporter Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio: “I will have the exact numbers tomorrow, but they were terrible.
“Way below an AEW (All Elite Wrestling) PPV. Possibly 10k for TV orders. I will have the streaming tomorrow.
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“It was nothing close to Canelo or Diaz-Paul buys.”
For context, Jake Paul claimed his loss to Tommy Fury sold over 800,000 PPVs.
And 450,000 were believed to be the number for his win over Nate Diaz in August.
Canelo beat Jermell Charlo in his last bout in September with up to 700,000 PPVs reportedly sold.
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Despite Meltzer’s report, Turki Alalshikh – who staged and financed the fight – insisted it was a PPV success.
He said on The MMA Hour: “It will be one of the biggest pay-per-views ever.
“I just have the number of DAZN, and DAZN doesn’t cover all the world, doesn’t cover in this fight especially in America and the UK, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.
“DAZN is more than 200,000 subscribers, just DAZN, more than 200,000 subscribers.
“I think, and I hope, we will be the most watched pay-per-view fight ever.”
Fury celebrates his controversial winCredit: Reuters More

TYSON FURY has been backed to still beat Oleksandr Usyk by Carl Frampton despite struggling against Francis Ngannou. That’s because Frampton reckons a dinner Fury attended the night before his Saudi bout could have affected his performance.
Tyson Fury is in line to fight Oleksandr Usyk despite his struggles against Francis NgannouCredit: Getty
Carl Frampton has backed Fury to beat Usyk in their undisputed blockbuster
Fury’s undisputed title fight with Usyk in Riyadh is still on, after he controversially beat Ngannou on points.
And Frampton told BBC Sport: “I still have Fury as a favourite against Usyk.
“He obviously needs to be much better than he was in his last fight, which he will be.”
Fury, 35, and Usyk, 36, signed to meet in the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification BEFORE the Gypsy King’s ill-fated crossover clash.
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And Ngannou, 37, astonishingly went onto knock down and leave the Gypsy King battered and bruised.
Despite escaping with a disputed victory, Fury’s undisputed title decider, which had been earmarked for Christmas time, now looks to be postponed until February.
The WBC champ kept his undefeated boxing record in front of a star-studded selections of guests.
Football icon like Cristiano Ronaldo, boxing great Mike Tyson and UFC superstar Conor McGregor were among those ringside.
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And the week was full of celebrated names arriving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Several attended a dinner the night before the fight, including Fury himself.
And retired Frampton, 36, said: “It seems he’s doing too much.
“Both guys were at the gala dinner the night before the event, what’s that about? I wouldn’t have been doing that if I was fighting.
“I would have been resting, but we all know Fury is much better than what we saw, and everyone is entitled to a bad performance once in a while.”
Francis Ngannou knocked down FuryCredit: Getty More

GEORGE GROVES has predicted Tyson Fury will either rematch Francis Ngannou or RETIRE without ever fighting Oleksandr Usyk. Fury faced ex-UFC champion Ngannou knowing he had already signed to face Usyk in a title unification eight weeks later.
Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou by split-decisionCredit: Getty
George Groves predicted Fury will rematch Ngannou or retireCredit: Getty
But the Gypsy King’s expected routine return against boxing debutant Ngannou, 37, in Saudi Arabia turned into a horror show.
He was dropped in round three and fortunate in the eyes of many to walk away with a split-decision win.
Having been left battered, bruised and his ego dented, the December 23 Christmas cracker with Usyk faces the KO.
And former super-middleweight champion Groves fears the heavyweight super-fight may never happen after all.
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He said on Sky Sports:”There is not a chance the Usyk fight is happening on that date.
“It is not Usyk on December 23, I don’t think it’s Usyk next. I think it’s either Ngannou or that’s the last of Fury.
“He tells everyone he is the Gypsy King, that he is the man, no fighter can ever beat him.
“There is someone right now who can beat him and it’s Usyk. A lot of people will think the same.
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“He doesn’t need to roll the dice and get beat off the little gap-toothed Ukrainian guy. He’d rather just sail off into the sunset.
“He is an interesting character and there are lots of avenues he can explore after boxing. Doors that might be shut on him or not the same if he loses to Usyk.
“I think he is going to either rectify the last fight against Ngannou, which he will get paid a lot of money for and a lot of people would be interested in.
“He will train better and show up and perform. Or he might retire.”
Fury, 35, has refused to confirm the date of his undisputed title decider against Usyk, 36.
But his promoter Frank Warren has insisted it must be backdated until the new year in order to allow the WBC champ to rest.
Usyk on the other hand is adamant it must go ahead on December 23 or never as he pours the pressure on Fury before the first bell has even sounded.
Fury and Usyk face off in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty More