Promoter Frank Warren says Tyson Fury’s next big fight against Oleksandr Usyk early next year will show whether he’s gotten old overnight and showing the decline that some fans witnessed last Saturday night with his controversial ten round split decision win over Francis Ngannou.
Warren doesn’t believe that the 35-year-old Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) has suddenly gotten old, as he feels it’s a case of him having a bad night going up against a guy that he hadn’t seen any footage of going into the fight. There was nothing for Fury & his team to study due to Ngannou never having boxed before.
Nevertheless, Fury did look physically old and not the fighter that had beaten Deontay Wilder twice, which makes some wonder if he’s been living an unhealthy life outside of the ring.
Some believe that those fights with Wilder, particularly the first and third, resulted in Fury taking a lot of heavy blows to the head, causing the deterioration that fans observed in the Ngannou fight.
It could be that Fury’s huge wealth, estimated to be nearing $200 million, has taken away his hunger to keep working hard between fights.
When you have that kind of wealth, it’s got to be very tough to stay motivated enough to train, eat right, and keep your weight down.
Fury looked fatter around his midsection than he had in many years, and at this advanced age, he can’t get away with being that heavy for fights against opposition with talent.
It’s one thing being as fat as a hog against a ham & egger like Sefer Seferi, but it’s another thing being equally obese against a hungry fighter with power like Ngannou.
“As to what will happen when the fight takes place in the first quarter of next year, whether he’s the same guy or not, we’ll find out when he gets in the ring,” said Frank Warren to Secondsout, reacting to being told that some fans believe the 35-year-old Tyson Fury is on the decline after his performance against Francis Ngannou last Saturday night.
“Regarding the fight that took place over the weekend with Ngannou. To be honest about it, Tyson didn’t look his normal self. He wasn’t that guy. He won the fight. Despite the knockdown, he won the fight.”
The majority of the fans that saw the Fury-Ngannou fight had Ngannou winning, so it doesn’t matter what Team Fury say about their fighter winning.
Fans don’t agree, and that’s a problem for Fury because he’s now seen as a fighter being protected by the judges, and some believed that the referees saved him from two defeats in his fights with Deontay. If you go back further, there was the John McDermott first fight, which fans saw Fury losing.
“No one is going to change my mind on it. I said before the fight, this guy [Ngannou] will be tough, and he’ll come to fight,” said Warren. “He came from that background. He’s a competitor, and he’s the best that he does in his discipline. He didn’t come to roll over. He came to fight.
“My expectations were that they would stand toe to toe, and it would be over in three rounds max. I didn’t expect this guy to be a boxer. He came out, shaped up, and he boxed. He was switching from orthodox to southpaw. He was smart guy.
“He [Ngannou] was really well prepared, and I get that because there was a lot of footage of Tyson that he had to look at to work out his tactics were to be. For Tyson, there was nothing to look at with what this guy was.
“If Tyson looked at it now, it would probably be a different fight. We never had that. Now, we move on to the big, big fight [against Oleksandr Usyk], and all those people making their points, we’re going to find out if they’re right or wrong.
“We’re only going to find out in his next fight,” said Warren, reacting to people saying that Fury has gotten old. “Me, I think he had an off night and won, and that happens. This was an unusual situation.
“They paid to be entertained,” said Warren about the fans that paid to watch the Fury vs. Ngannou event. “They were certainly entertained with that fight and the undercard.
“He’s been in the camp for 12 weeks. He’s a professional boxer at the highest level,” said Warren about Fury. “He fought a guy that was an unknown quality, who actually turned out to be a real good competitor.
“If it had been over in two or three rounds, the 23rd would have happened. It was hard night for him, and he needs to go rest up and let his body rest up,” said Warren about Fury.
