In today’s boxing news, Tyson Fury has promised not to overlook Francis Ngannou by referencing Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.

The Gypsy King will face the former UFC heavyweight champion on October 28th, 2023, in a fight that he is expected to come through comfortably, given that Ngannou will be making his boxing debut.

However, a defeat for Fury would be catastrophic given that it would disrupt the plans for the undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk.

Both fighters have signed an agreement to make the fight official after months of strenuous negotiations. Therefore, a defeat will likely result in a rematch that would no doubt prove problematic.

So in order to give himself the best chance of glory, Fury has vowed not to make the same mistake as Joshua when the latter was stopped by Ruiz on his first ever bout on US soil. And given that Fury will be making his debut in Saudi, the Gypsy King was prepared for the pressure that comes with that.

Fury On Ngannou

"I am not looking past Ngannou. 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," Fury stated 

The pressure will also be intensified by the expected presence of Oleksandr Usyk ringside. The Ukrainian has already come through a tough battle in his last bout against Daniel Dubois.

Despite stopping the Brit in the ninth round, Usyk could have lost the bout on any other given day. The Ukrainian was dropped in the fifth round, but given over three minutes to recover, as Dubois’ punch was deemed a low blow.

Although that may have been the case, the expectation is now on Fury to come through his bout. And by the looks of it, Usyk’s presence is the last thing on the boxer’s mind.

"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," Fury

Hearn On Fury-Ngannou

Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn has given his take on how successful Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou will be on pay-per-view.

The bout will commence on October 28th, 2023, in Riyadh Saudi as both fighters prepare for a mega crossover event. Despite the being the case, Fury’s WBC belt is not on the line, with many seeing the bout as none other than a lucrative opportunity for both fighters.

And given that there are question marks over how competitive it will be, Hearn had some reservations over the pay-per-view numbers.

"I don’t think Fury vs. Ngannou is a massive pay-per-view. It’s going to be a great promotion this week it’s going to be incredible. The money they’re going to put behind it. I don’t think it does huge numbers in the U.S. I think it’s a big event, and it’ll do big numbers. I don’t really follow the MMA stuff, but by all accounts, from the response that I’ve seen from that card, they’re very solid numbers," Hearn

Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following point. The trailer for the Fury-Ngannou fight had gone viral, with reports of over 100 million views across social media, indicating the huge interest that has been generated in the fight.

And if that can transcend into pay-per-view buys, then the event will no doubt have brought in a new wave of boxing fans. But in the meantime, the jury is still out.