Usyk Wins WBA Boxer Of The Month, Ngannou’s MMA Future
Oleksandr Usyk has been named the WBA boxer of the month following his win over Daniel Dubois.
Usyk overcame a controversial fifth round to retain his unified titles, as he stopped Dubois in the ninth round.
The win kept his unbeaten record which stretched to 21 wins, 14 of which were by way of knockout. That kept up the Ukrainian’s hopes of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 provided that he manages to agree to a fight with Tyson Fury.
But in the meantime, his accomplishments are being recognized. And his former opponents have also backed that up. Tony Bellew had the experience of facing Usyk in 2018.
Despite claiming before the fight that Usyk did not have huge knockout power, Bellew was stopped in the eighth round. In the aftermath of the fight, Bellew described Usyk as the hardest fighter he had ever faced.
Bellew On Usyk
“Literally watching you for the first three rounds, every reaction and move you make, it everything he does, he absorbs it like a computer, and then he flips it around, and he makes you look at yourself, and all this time you’re thinking throughout the bout,” Bellew said
And the respect that Bellew showed Usyk was also reciprocated by the latter. The Ukrainian has gone on record to explain that Bellew was his toughest opponent.
After all, Bellew was ahead on the scorecards during the fight. However, the mental energy that he had used to stay in the fight ultimately cost him. And given that he had come down from heavyweight to fight Usyk, it took its toll on him.
But Bellew had no excuses as he credited his former foe once again.
“Oleksandr Usyk is a great, great champion and I lost to one of the pound-for-pound best that’s ever done it. He’s fantastic, he beat me fair and square. I have no excuses. You come up against great people in life and sometimes you lose, you’ve just got to accept it. He’s the best I’ve ever fought. Anyone who faces him in a lot of trouble,” Bellew
Ngannou’s MMA Future
Although Usyk may be deserving of an award, Francis Ngannou has the chance to make history too. The former UFC heavyweight champion will face Tyson Fury on October 28th, 2023, in his boxing debut.
The option to box was part of Ngannou’s wider PFL deal in which he will make his debut in 2024. Although he is a massive underdog, a loss would not be the end of the world.
The fighter still has his eyes on making records in MMA even if he does beat Fury. After all, there is always a chance that Ngannou could return to the UFC to face Jon Jones.
Eric Nicksick, who happens to be Ngannou’s coach, had this to say.
“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when it comes. [Financially] he can lose to Tyson Fury and never have to fight again. Who knows. I’m hoping that he wins this fight and I feel he has so much more to accomplish in MMA, just from what he’s been building with his skill set. As long as he’s enjoying it and he’s having fun, I think he’ll come back,” Nicksick
However, there is a danger that MMA fighters are never the same once they crossover into boxing. Conor McGregor had shown that as his form has been far from impressive since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
And at a time when the paydays in boxing are higher than they are in the UFC, MMA fighters are looking for more reasons to box. And yet, Nicksick confirmed that Ngannou is still hungry as ever to make an impression in MMA.
“At the end of the day, with what he’s been developing in the room with MMA, he said to me a few times — and this was after we got him back in the room after knee surgery — he’s like, ‘I really love what I’m doing in MMA. [He told me,] ‘I love the sport now, I love all the aspects with all the takedowns and everything else,” Nicksick
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