Via Sean Jones: Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury should be required to defend his WBC heavyweight belt if he faces Francis Ngannou. Hearn said Furry will receive 40-50 million for the Ngannou show.
Oleksandr Usyk promoter Alex Krassyuk wants Fury stripped of his WBC title if he enters the exhibition match. It’s up to the WBC to force Fury to defend against his compulsion because without them setting foot in the fire, he’ll fight whoever he wants.
Fury fought 39-year-old cruiser Derek Chisora in his final bout, and that old man didn’t deserve to be in the world title. He has lost 3 of the last 4 matches. Fury is sitting on his WBC title, looking to make some easy money instead of going into traditional fights against Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Hearn doesn’t feel it’s necessary, but he thinks Fury should be asked to defend against compulsion rather than being allowed to sit on his WBC belt without defending it.
Hearn noted that Fury has not been required to defend his WBC title since last April, which is 15 months ago.
The World Boxing Council rules are that their champions must implement mandatory title defenses every year, but Fury has yet to do so.
Instead of following WBC rules, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is reportedly planning to fight former UFC champion Ngannou in an exhibition.
“Fury is fighting Ngannou, and will that be announced, I think, Saudi today, or tomorrow? Whatever it is,” Eddie Hearn said to iFL TV reacted to Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, saying that Tyson Fury should be stripped of the WBC heavyweight belt if he were to face Francis Ngannou in an exhibition bout.
“Should he be stripped of his WBC title? Sure is not, but you should have a mandatory one. I mean, the rules are still in the WBC, I believe, every 12 months, there will be a mandatory challenger and the last mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte returns; I’m not even sure that’s the place. Well, back in April, when it was 13 or 14 months ago.
The WBC can force Fury to resist his compulsion, but will they? That’s questionable as they clearly enjoy having Fury as their champion.
“So I don’t understand why he [Fury] there shouldn’t be a compulsion, especially when he fought Francis Ngannou, but I don’t think you can blame Tyson Fury for making a lot of money fighting Francis Ngannou,” Hearn said. “But you cannot go out and say you about this and you about that.
“The Usyk War was there; everyone knew that, and he chose not to fight him. Again, I’m back if you really want to fight, you’ll make it happen. Usyk’s fight went to him in Saudi Arabia for a lot of money.
“He chose not to do it. He chose to fight Francis Ngannou, but I don’t resent that man. I mean, he talks like he’s going to be 1 to 100.
“They can fight a million times, and Francis Ngannou won’t win the fight, and if Fury gets 40-50 million to fight him, good luck to him, but he doesn’t really want the impossible legacy. controversial, but everyone’s different.
“Maybe he’s thinking, ‘I don’t care about legacy. Give me 40 million. Thank. Sweet.’ I get it,” Hearn said of Fury.
