Eddie Hearn would like everyone involved with the upcoming crossover fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou to be more forthright about their intentions.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Fury, the WBC titlist, would be taking on the former UFC champion on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a regulation bout that would be contested using boxing rules, including the use of three judges. However, the WBC clarified that Fury’s belt would not be at stake—an announcement that struck many fans and observers as contradictory.
Boxing fans have also criticized the fight because while it stands to generate outsize mainstream attention, it has come at the expense of seeing an undisputed heavyweight championship between Fury and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian has accused Fury of ducking him, despite multiple efforts to strike a deal. Usyk will take on mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois next month in Poland.
Hearn, who had discussions with Ngannou to potentially fight his ace charge Anthony Joshua, criticized Fury and his handlers for suggesting that Fury-Ngannou was more than a cash grab. Hearn went so far as to call the bout “terrible” for boxing. Frank Warren, the British promoter of Fury, has repeatedly defended the sporting appeal of the fight.
“I took the (Ngannou) fight to AJ,” Hearn said in an interview with FightHype.com. “He wasn’t interested. But I knew that there was a chance that [Ngannou] could fight someone. I think it’s terrible for boxing, because obviously there was a chance to make the undisputed fight (between Fury and Usyk).
“I understand the business side. I just feel like you should just be honest, like, ‘We have a chance to make a load of money for an easy fight. We’re gonna do that instead.’ And I don’t think anyone would begrudge it. MMA fans seem to be quite happy with it because I think they like Ngannou securing the bag, but boxing fans seem to be furious. There’s been so many back and forths with Tyson Fury and I think some things he said people now look at say, I understand he’s a great fighter, great character, and I don’t begrudge him for making a lot of money for an easy fight.”
While the fight may do little to bolster the credentials of Fury, it is certainly a significant milestone for Ngannou, who will earn the type of payday he was unable to garner with the UFC.
Hearn does not give much of a chance for Ngannou to be competitive against Fury.
“You could do this fight a million times and we wouldn’t win once,” Hearn said. “I’m being serious. That’s the reality. You’re talking about the world heavyweight champion against someone who has never boxed in a professional fight. But they’ll tell you how hard Francis punches and he used to be a boxer and stuff like that.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.