WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has vowed to avoid the scenario of making the same error as his domestic rival, Anthony Joshua.
Back in 2019, Joshua suffered the upset of the year when he was dropped four times and stopped in seven rounds by late-replacement Andy Ruiz.
Joshua was a massive favorite to win the fight, but the loss would derail any talk of a potential showdown with Deontay Wilder – which was being heavily discussed during that time period.
Fury has an upcoming assignment on October 28, when he steps in the ring with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. Fury’s WBC title will not be at stake.
Ngannou, who makes his pro debut as a boxer, is a tremendous underdog in the fight. Very few observers are expecting him to last the full distance.
But, Fury is taking him very, very seriously – despite already finalizing a deal for an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk in the near future.
“I am not looking past Ngannou,” Fury said. “I don’t look ahead to other fights or get involved in boxing politics.
“When you count your chickens before they hatch you usually come unstuck. I remember a few years ago when Anthony Joshua was in New York to box a little unknown called Andy Ruiz Jr but all he could talk about was fighting Deontay Wilder. He didn’t concentrate on the little fat fella in front of him and he ended up getting wiped out! I don’t do stuff like that.
“I don’t care if Usyk is ringside, I am only looking forward to a good fight with Francis Ngannou. Whether it is easy or hard I will be prepared for it but I won’t be taking my eye off of it, especially not for some middleweight guy when I have a giant in front of me.”