Tyson Fury turned in an abysmal performance by all accounts in October when he sneaked by with a split-decision win against Francis Ngannou.
Much like many of the boxing brethren had done before him, Fury was expected to dominate and blast the MMA fighter in an entertaining showcase.
But the former UFC champion put up an admirable fight, even knocking down Fury in the 10-round fight.
The 37-year-old Ngannou overcame a five-inch height disadvantage to land 59 punches; Fury countered with 71 landed shots of his own, but the optics of how the fight transpired heavily favored Ngannou, especially after Fury walked away from the fight with a black eye.
The WBC titlist Fury escaped near disaster and has since set up his heavyweight unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17. The winner of the “Ring of Fire” fight could likely face the winner of Ngannou’s next fight against Anthony Joshua.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum is wondering if the 35-year-old he co-promotes has seemingly aged overnight.
“Let’s be honest. You watch Fury’s last fight with Ngannou, either he really wasn’t prepared for that fight, or he’s lost a step. When fighters get up in age, that happens,” Arum told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I really believe it’s the former – that Fury didn’t prepare as well as he should have [against Ngannou], who, by the way, has the tools to become a force in the heavyweight division.”
Fury will look to regain his form to be a force himself once again.
Arum is confident “The Gypsy King” can rise to the occasion.
“I really believe [Fury vs. Usyk is] going to be a fascinating fight,” said Arum. “Usyk is a very smart fighter. He prepares extremely well. He’s fearless. That will be a very big test for Fury. Fury knows that. He’s been training assiduously for the fight.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.