Tyson Fury Hypes Francis Ngnannou UFC Crossover Fight After Winning ‘Last’ Boxing Match
After stopping Dillian Whyte with a vicious uppercut, Fury said it was his last boxing match and talked up a future fight with UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
Tyson Fury picked up one of the most impressive victories of his professional boxing career on Saturday night in London. It may have also been the last.
“The Gypsy King” was back in action against fellow Englishman Dillian Whyte, defending his WBC heavyweight title in front of 94,000 people inside the hallowed Wembley Stadium.
It was a vintage Fury performance. The towering tactician spent the first few rounds of the fight downloading information while keeping his foe at bay with long-range punches. He began to ramp up his assault as the fight crept into the middle rounds, and ultimately put an end to things in round six, when he caught his incoming challenger with a rocket-fueled uppercut to the chin.
Whyte, who has been vulnerable to uppercuts in the past, managed to return to his feet, but was visibly compromised and therefore not allowed to continue fighting.
The knockout, which drove the crowded Wembley Stadium into a frenzy, pushed Fury to an impressive 32-0-1 overall, with the lone blemish on his record being a 2018 draw opposite Alabama knockout artist Deontay Wilder, whom Fury has since defeated twice by stoppage.
Ahead of his fight with Whyte, Fury made no secret of the fact that he was contemplating retirement. In his post-fight interview, he expressed his intention to stick to that plan.
“I have to be a man of my word, and I think this might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King, and what a way to go out,” he said, noting that he initially promised his wife he would stop fighting after settling his rivalry with Wilder.
Fury’s retirement would be a massive loss for boxing fans. The Brit is not only the greatest heavyweight of this era, but one of the most enigmatic personalities in all of sports, as recognized for his sizzling pre-fight trash talk and his habit of serenading fans after his victories as he is for his tremendous skill inside the ring.
The good news, for those dreading his departure, is that he seemingly intends to fight again — just not in a traditional boxing match.
After he knocked out Whyte, Fury brought reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou of into the ring, and laid out plans for a hybrid rules bout contest in four oz. MMA gloves sometime in the near future.
“I will not rule out exhibitions,” Fury said after the fight. “Get some of that Floyd Mayweather money. I want to have fun. I’m an entertainer. I entertain, that’s what I do best. I want to have fun.
“Francis Ngannou was here today. He’s on my hit list in an exhibition fight. However he wants: in a cage, in a boxing ring, boxing gloves, UFC gloves, we can make it happen. I think everyone wants to see it. He’s a monster of a guy, I’m a monster of a guy, so it will be a clash of the titans for sure.”
Ngannou, one of the most devastating punchers in MMA history, is currently under contract with the UFC, which makes a potential fight with Fury impossible for the moment — unless the MMA promotion were to play ball, which seems very unlikely.
However, the Cameroonian-Frenchman’s contract is set to inspire at the end of the year. If he becomes a free agent, the Fury fight will become a possibility. And with both parties seemingly interested in making it happen, it might even become a reality.
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