Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum believes Tyson Fury’s lack of preparation almost cost him dearly against Francis Ngannou, but is confident fans will see a very different Fury when he faces Oleksandr Usyk in May.
Fury and Usyk will meet in less than two months for the right to be named the undisputed heavyweight champion, but those plans almost went up in smoke when the Gypsy King took on Ngannou last October.
When Fury entered the ring against a novice boxer in the form of former UFC champion Ngannou, he was expected to cruise to victory to set up a showdown with Usyk.
But Fury soon found himself in deep water after being knocked down in the third round, and he narrowly escaped a disastrous defeat as he secured a controversial victory via split decision.
Fury was criticized for appearing out of shape in the build-up to the Ngannou fight, and Arum claims the fight was much closer than expected as the Brit took his eye off the ball.
Tyson Fury was knocked out by Francis Ngannou when the pair met in Saudi Arabia in October
Fury got back up to win a split decision, but he was criticized for appearing out of shape before the fight
His promoter, Bob Arum, believes Fury was in no shape to fight anyone that night
Arum is confident Fury will take things much more seriously against Oleksandr Usyk
However, he explained why the WBC champion will not make the same mistake again when he returns to Saudi Arabia later this year.
Reflecting on why Ngannou was able to have so much success in Riyadh against Fury, Arum told Mail Sport: ‘I look at his performance with Fury as if Fury really wasn’t ready to fight anyone that night, but Ngannou did what he had to do. make it competitive.
Discussing his journey with Fury since becoming his promoter, Arum continued: “After his first fight with Wilder, which we didn’t promote, we promoted a fight with Wallin and Schwarz, and, to be honest, Fury looked pretty ordinary out. He looked good, but not great.
“When he then went back to fight Wilder when he was really in shape mentally and physically, he was fantastic in both fights, knocking out Wilder in both fights. And because there has been so much talk and controversy when he fought Dillian Whyte at Wembley, he looked great too.
‘Not so much for Chisora, because that was just a fight to keep busy, and when he fought Ngannou he looked ordinary. Let’s be honest about it.
“But then again, that seems to be the pattern with Fury, and he knows how tough a fight Usyk is. Usyk is a great athlete, very determined and has never lost a fight. So I really believe we will see the best of Tyson Fury on May 18.”
A win for Fury in May could set up a mouthwatering British showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua has won his last four fights since back-to-back defeats to Usyk, and has looked particularly impressive in his last two victories against Otto Wallin and Ngannou.
Anthony Joshua dispatched Ngannou in two rounds in Riyadh earlier this month
Arum believes Joshua has regained his confidence and will now be a match for anyone, but is not yet allowing himself to look ahead to a fight between Fury and Joshua.
After Ngannou pushed Fury all the way, Joshua destroyed the MMA star in two rounds earlier this month, and Arum feels the two-time world champion has rediscovered his mojo.
The 92-year-old promoter admitted there could be a highly anticipated fight between Fury and Joshua – despite the former having a rematch clause with Usyk – but insisted he is only focusing on Fury’s fight with the Ukrainian for now.
“I think the blow to Joshua was that he lost his confidence,” Arum said. “If a fight loses his confidence, he is very weakened.
“Now Joshua seems to be regaining his confidence, and if that continues, Joshua will be a very dangerous fighter who can compete with anyone.
Looking ahead to how the heavyweight scene could develop in the wake of Fury vs Usyk, Arum added: ‘What happens if Fury-Usyk turns out to be a classic? A fight so exciting and exciting that the audience wants to see it again. Then that would certainly trump a Joshua fight, and contractually it’s a fight that has to happen.
‘What happens if it’s a one-sided fight and Fury wins the fight? Then maybe everyone can sit down with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and make an arrangement and go straight to Fury-Joshua.
“If Usyk wins the fight, I don’t think there will be that much demand for a Usyk-Joshua fight because after all, they’ve fought twice and Usyk has beaten him twice. So one fight at a time, that’s my motto.”
While the top three heavyweights appear to be set in stone for now, the chasing pack is less clear.
Ngannou has lost his first two boxing matches, but in a very different way, having almost beaten Fury before being dismantled by Joshua.
Joshua urged Ngannou to continue boxing immediately after beating him
Arum agrees that Ngannou can still be a threat in the heavyweight division if he commits to boxing
In the immediate aftermath of his comprehensive win over Ngannou, Joshua urged the Cameroonian native to pursue a career in boxing rather than return to MMA, and Arum agrees that he is still a could have a future in sports.
“He was knocked out by Joshua, which is not surprising given his experience and skill level,” Arum said.
“Now Ngannou has to go back and if he wants to learn to be a real fighter with sparring and training and so on, then I think he could be very competitive in the heavyweight division.
“But whether he continues boxing or goes back to MMA, that’s up to him.”
