Anthony Joshua has offered a three-pronged response to the news that Tyson Fury will box former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, has failed to agree terms with Joshua and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in recent months, and the 34-year-old will now take on Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in October.
Ngannou, 36, has not fought since retaining the UFC heavyweight title in January 2022. The Cameroonian, widely seen as the most powerful puncher in mixed martial arts history, left the UFC this January and has since signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) – a rival promotion to the UFC. As part of his deal with the PFL, Ngannou can box on the side, and he will do so before debuting in the promotion next year.
When asked about Fury vs Ngannou on Tuesday (11 July), Joshua told iFL TV: “One: I shouldn’t give a f***, it’s none of my business. It has no business concerning me. It pays me no business.
“Number two: Why? [Fury] should’ve been fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Straight up, that’s nonsense, his fault.
“Three: If we’re acknowledging his business, good luck to the man. Do your thing. If it’s right for him, what’s it got to do with me?”
Fury last fought in December, retaining his title against Derek Chisora with a late stoppage, having already beaten his fellow Briton twice before.
Usyk, meanwhile, will defend his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois in Poland in August, two weeks after Joshua faces Dillian Whyte in a rematch eight years in the making. “AJ”, 33, knocked out his fellow Briton in 2015, avenging an amateur loss to Whyte.
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