Fury vs. Ngannou: Money, Clicks & Another Low Blow For Boxing

Fury vs. Ngannou: Money, Clicks & Another Low Blow For Boxing

If Tyson Fury wasn’t the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, I would have no issues with him fighting the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

If Tyson Fury had defended his once prestigious WBC bauble at least once this year, I would have no issues with him fighting Francis Ngannou.

If Tyson Fury has a defence of his heavyweight title pencilled in for later this year, the blow would at least be softened somewhat that is he fighting someone from another sport.

But none of the above are a reality, and the fact that the WBC has allowed Fury yet another free pass to engage in yet another act that is akin to the circus coming to town, is another example why the sport is where it is. Fury hasn’t defended his title since his pointless fight with Derek Chisora last December and is unlikely to do so until at least April next year. How can that possibly be right? How can that be allowed to happen?

If Fury has no interest in going down the tiresome formality of defending his WBC title against the ranked contenders that sit below him in the WBC rankings, he should vacate. Or, of course, if the WBC actually cared, they would strip him. Yeah, right, of course they would. If the WBC were not involved in the proceedings, then they probably would strip him. I say probably because I’m still not convinced that they would restore balance to their heavyweight ranks. They’ve created yet another meaningless belt that will be paraded as though it means everything. Something would be a start.

Fury brings money, and plenty of it. Fury will carry on regardless. There is no mention of a proper fight. Fleeting words about Oleksandr Usyk are brushed aside with utter contempt. What happens next when Fury demands a certain amount of money to come out and play and Usyk and the rest can’t satisfy his huge financial demands?

Fury and Ngannou arrived in style to yesterday’s pantomime press conference in London to formally announce their fight on October 28th. The cameras were packed and unloaded by the willing new breed of the press pack, or are they now really just content creators. They came armed looking for clicks and not for the credibility of the sport, something for which they should all care about. The thing is, they should care. And passionately.

“Look at the views. Look at how many people are watching,” they will say to justify or defend the whole charade. They don’t care about the sport that they reside in. Did they ever? It will generate another jolly to Saudi Arabia for those who are self-sufficient, so who cares about the bigger picture.

Fury is now more content creator himself than the fighting man he proclaims to be. The Ngannou episode will no doubt be the overriding subject matter for the next series of his Netflix extravaganza. To be fair, Fury plays his part extremely well. But he should be a fighter, not an actor. And of late, it is hard to differentiate between the two. Fury is now the ultimate walking contradiction.

Ngannou has no chance of winning. It is not a fight, not a fair one anyway. Ngannou hasn’t fought since January last year, and without labouring the obvious, it was in another sport. His hands, to destroy a myth, are not that great. Certainly nowhere near elite boxing level. The power he can generate with 4oz gloves is impressive. But he won’t be wearing 4oz MMA gloves. Unless Fury stands still on the spot, Ngannou might not even hit Fury once. There is no intrigue or doubt here. It is nothing more than a shameless money grab.

Fury vs. Ngannou will make money and loads of it. It is a massive event, and of that, I can agree with the players on the top table. Does that justify it? In their eyes, of course, it does. But it is another move to boxing proper and the Misfits world becoming one.

The masses will be sucked in and then complain hard about what they have purchased. It will end exactly the way everyone thinks it will. Don’t be disappointed and feel hard done to when you get served up exactly what you deserve.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank