Former multi-time world champion and present boxing analyst Andre Ward would like to see Tyson Fury face each Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou in some unspecified time in the future, however he believes the boxing world wants him again within the squared circle with contenders first.
Ngannou, the previous UFC heavyweight champion, just lately signed with the PFL and is anticipated to take a boxing match previous to his promotional debut in 2024 — with Fury as an opponent “The Predator” would like to face. UFC President Dana White has since laid out a respectful problem to Fury for a struggle within the octagon with present heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones to find out the actual “baddest man on the planet.”
Ward was requested about which matchup he would favor to see, and gave his response to Ariel Helwani on Monday.
“Personally, I wish to see each,” Ward stated on The MMA Hour. “I perceive what Dana is doing. I imply, once I actually give it some thought, I don’t really feel as robust about it as MMA followers. I do know what they’re saying. I comply with MMA and I do know it’s like, ‘Come on, Dana, like actually? One minute you have been saying this now you’re switching up.’
“So I get what Dana is doing, he’s a promoter, and in essence, he’s selling his man. However I respect Jon Jones’ struggle sport and I wish to see the [Jones vs.] Tyson Fury factor, or the Francis [fight].”
In April 2022, Fury stopped Dillian Whyte within the sixth spherical earlier than asserting his retirement, then having a face-to-face within the ring with Ngannou. Fury ended these career-ending talks shortly and returned this previous December to knock out Derek Chisora within the tenth spherical.
Since then, Fury has been publicly negotiating potential matchups on social media — together with with Ngannou, Jones, and Oleksandr Usyk — however nothing has been signed, sealed, and delivered at this level.
Whereas Ward would like to see Fury combine it up with the 2 most up-to-date UFC heavyweight champs, he simply doesn’t see it occurring proper now.
“I don’t see Tyson actually combating both a kind of guys,” Ward defined. “I feel Tyson will take a bag like Floyd did, however I feel Tyson is admittedly making an attempt to determine this boxing factor out. I need to see what occurs with him with this [next fight] as a result of he appears to have hassle getting a struggle in boxing, a lot much less an MMA struggle, and I don’t suppose proper now Tyson Fury ought to try this.
“You’ve been off with boxing, the boxing world is a bit upset. They’re clamoring like, ‘Dude, what’s subsequent? We hear you speak, however the place’s the struggle?’ If he took that, if he veered that means proper now, I don’t suppose it’d be the fitting time. Get a boxing struggle, Joshua, one thing like that, after which go struggle a kind of guys.”
Ngannou’s free company has been one of the vital mentioned storylines in MMA since his resolution win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, with mixing in some boxing matchups being a sticking level for his negotiations.
Ward has seen how White has reacted to all the things, seemingly making an attempt to delegitimize his former champion at each flip since they formally parted methods. Ultimately, Ward can’t assist however give reward to Ngannou and his workforce for a way issues performed out for him.
“I like how Francis is dealing with this case,” Ward stated. “Any time a fighter, breaks from the norm or the mould, it’s all the time, ‘Oh, he’s loopy. ‘He desires an excessive amount of cash.’ It’s all the time a bizarre narrative, and Francis, man, he’s dealt with the scenario – even with the failed offers that didn’t undergo and the issues that got here out of that. He simply stayed within the pocket and he finally acquired the deal that he needed.
“So to me, all of the stuff that Dana is doing is sort of white noise. That dude is on the point of receives a commission. It’s possible you’ll not prefer it. You possibly can say no matter you need to say about him, however he’s going to receives a commission.”
