24 October 2023 , 13:56
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Francis Ngannou has boldly stated his crossover fight against Tyson Fury is bigger than Oleksandr Usyk 's undisputed bout with the Brit.
Former UFC champion Ngannou makes his boxing debut against Fury on Saturday to kick off Riyadh season in Saudi Arabia. Fury has already booked his next fight and could face fellow heavyweight champion Usyk as soon as December 23, depending on the outcome of the Brit's fight with Ngannou.
It seemed an undisputed clash between Fury and Usyk would never happen after months of failed negotiations, but they officially agreed to a deal last month. The fight is monumental for boxing as it will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999, but Ngannou explained why he thinks the fight isn't as important as his bout with Fury.
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“He’s fighting me first, we are getting the way bigger fight," Ngannou said on The MMA Hour. "I don’t really care what he’s going to do after with Usyk. I have the biggest stage here. Even though that fight is for the undisputed title, I am having the biggest stage. It can’t be as big as this, so why would I be upset about something that is smaller than I have? Some people asked me if I was frustrated about it and irritated about it. If you look at it, this Usyk fight was the one they were negotiating before me.
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Fury is optimistic of making his December 23 date to fight Usyk but Ngannou thinks the Brit won't be in any fit state to fight again before the end of the year after their crossover clash. "That's their problem, not mine. I don't have to deal with that. I think about what is next for me, I am also going to fight in the PFL early next year. There is a fight going on, so we both already have plans to fight after this one," he added.
Ngannou will be forced to fight Fury again if he does pull off the unthinkable, but insisted the rematch clause won't get in the way of his MMA plans. The Cameroonian played down the scale of his fight against Fury by explaining that both men are right to already make plans for the future.
“I’m looking past him too. Do you think my life is going to stop after this fight? No. Do you think my career is going to end after this fight? No. I have a future after this fight, I am looking at other stuff. He is the right to look past me. We are not going to war, we are not going to die. We are just going to fight and then go back to continue with our lives," Ngannou said.