Reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury slammed many of the fighters in his division after suggesting that they all refused to step inside the squared circle with him.
After failing to negotiate an undisputed heavyweight title clash with Oleksandr Usyk, Fury signed on the dotted line for a crossover bout with ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou. The pair will square off in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on October 28, but on Thursday, Fury and ‘The Predator’ went face-to-face for the first time during a pre-fight press event in London.
For the most part, the event went off without a hitch as Tyson Fury was his usual self, trash-talking the other fighters in his division. Particularly after they all allegedly declined to step into the ring with him, leading him to a fight with Ngannou.
“A lot of b*tches. [Anthony Joshua], [Oleksandr] Usyk, [Deontay] Wilder, [Andy] Ruiz. Our class is all little b*tches now,” Fury said while speaking to Michelle Joy Phelps of Fight Hub TV. “You know, they’ve all had the opportunity to fight the ‘GK’ and all of them turned it down for whatever reason so good luck to them. Now they’re all in the past. I’m looking forward to bigger and better things.”
One of those bigger and better things appears to be a showdown with the UFC’s current heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
“Jon Jones is on my radar. I’d like to fight Jon Jones next,” Fury revealed.
‘The Gypsy King’ has been at odds with Jon Jones after longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan suggested that ‘Bones’ would mop the floor with Fury in the event the two men were ever locked in a room together. The unlikely rivalry led to the UFC reportedly making an offer to book a hybrid-rules fight between the two, but Fury ultimately signed on to fight Ngannou instead.
Tyson Fury wants Jon Jones next. pic.twitter.com/Zgeok8RFDH
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 7, 2023
Tyson Fury Was Never Interested in a Title Unification Fight with Oleksandr Usyk
With Tyson Fury intent on fighting Jon Jones next, where does that leave a potential title unification clash with Oleksandr Usyk? Asked if the long-awaited matchup with the Ukrainian was still a priority, Fury revealed that it never was.
“Has it ever been my priority? Did I ever say I wanted an undisputed [fight]? It’s always been that little b*tche’s dream ain’t it? ‘Undisputed. Road to undisputed.’ Listen, I got Francis Ngannou to deal with, and should the little sausage want to fight for the undisputed, if he takes a small percentage, we can make it happen. But if he wants a large bag, I’m gonna say no thank you,” Fury said.
As for why negotiations broke down between himself and Usyk, Fury said that they intended to book the fight for Wembley Stadium, but indicated that Usyk and his team turned it down.
“Him and his team were sh*t houses. They got offered to fight at Wembley. It didn’t happen, but then we moved on,” Fury added. “That was it. I’m happy to fight Francis Ngannou who’s stepping up to the plate and I think he’s going to be a bigger tougher challenge than these other guys. These other guys are just boxers. He’s more than that.”
Instead of fighting Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk went on to defend his title(s) against British boxer Daniel Dubois last month. Usyk scored a ninth-round knockout, though it didn’t come without a bit of controversy. In the fifth round, Dubois landed a nasty blow to the body that was deemed to be a low blow as it made contact with Usyk below the belt line. Many fight fans, including Fury, believe the blow was legal and should have resulted in a loss for Usyk.
“I thought he lost the fight,” Fury said without hesitation. “I thought Dubois beat him with a body shot and he showed himself to be a little b*tch p*ssy like I always said he was and that’s it. Rolling around on the floor like a little sausage in a pan. A little sausage getting fried around. ‘My belly hurts.’ Listen, I’m back with a bang. Got my mojo back. I’ve been away for a while, but I’m back, and yeah. Back where I belong on top of the pack.”
