Tyson Fury has received advice to prioritise a fight against Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua instead of stepping into the octagon with an MMA heavyweight. As talks of a potential undisputed clash with Usyk in December in Saudi Arabia gather momentum, Fury has expressed interest in warm-up bouts against UFC champion Jon Jones and former titleholder Francis Ngannou in recent weeks, reports the Mirror.
However, former two-weight world champion Andre Ward has advised Fury to first face an actual heavyweight boxer before considering fights against Jones or Ngannou. “I don’t see Tyson fighting either one of those guys [Jones/Ngannou], I really don’t," said Ward on The MMA Hour.
"I think Tyson is really trying to figure this boxing thing out. I want to see what happens with him in boxing. He seems to be having trouble getting a fight in the boxing ring, much less an MMA fighter."
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Fury is expected to receive a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian promotion Skills Challenge for the undisputed fight against Usyk in December. Ward added: "I think the boxing world is a bit upset with him right now, we hear you talk but where’s the fight, so if he veered that way right now, I don’t think it would be the right time. Get a boxing fight – Usyk or Joshua – then go and fight one of those guys.”
'The Gypsy King' had claimed that the UFC approached him about a "hybrid fight" against Jones, who expressed interest in facing Fury despite UFC boss Dana White dismissing the idea. On the other hand, Ngannou has voiced frustration over the prolonged discussions about a potential fight with Fury, stretching over a year.
"I have seen a lot of comments from Tyson Fury at this point of things I'm a little confused. It's always what I wanted," Ngannou told the Mirror. "But apparently Tyson Fury's pretty good at bouncing here and there, I don't know exactly. But I am here and I want to fight, whenever he really wants it I'm here. It's been like three years that we've been going back-and-forth on social media so I would be very happy to take the fight."
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