“And Alexander wept, seeing as he had no more worlds to conquer.”
It’s a well known quote, whether you attribute it to Plutarch or Hans Gruber. An understanding of the classics is always useful in the contextualisation of boxing. After all, what is the sweet science if not the last vestiges of gladiatorial combat?
Surely then Tyson Fury’s pursuit of a fight with former UFC Heavyweight Champion is a result of the same emptiness felt by Alexander The Great? Has the WBC heavyweight champion looked outside his sport because he has conquered all those within it? Well, no. If a fight with Ngannou does come to pass, as has been rumoured before, then it will be instead of an inarguably more appealing fight.
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Conquering the heavyweight division cannot happen for Fury until he finally engages with Oleksandr Usyk. The unbeaten Ukrainian hero is the reigning WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring champion. He’s also done something which Fury never managed, despite the drawn-out talk of it. Usyk holds two victories over Anthony Joshua, a fighter Fury could never commit to climbing in the ring with.
Usyk appears to have taken AJ’s place as well as his belts. Now Usyk is the subject of the endless social media posts, the artificial “deadlines” and is being bombarded with contracts Fury seems unlikely to ever sign. There has been a lot of tiresome talk of purse splits and rematch clauses, but precious little action. Neither man has fought in 2023 and we’re already over halfway through the year. It is a sorry state for boxing’s banner division.
You could argue this justifies Fury’s reported plans. Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn certainly thinks Ngannou is the heavily-hyped opponent Fury’s team has been briefing about. Speaking to Boxing Social, Hearn said, "It will be an exhibition apparently, no knockdowns or anything. I don't know, I'm only telling you what I've heard. Who knows what's what, but I think that is apparently what is going to be the next fight.”
Even if you are someone who is intrigued by the idea of Fury fighting an MMA fighter with a non-existent professional boxing record, the offering sounds tame. Far from an actual boxing match, this “no-knockdown” exhibition fight sounds like a glorified sparring session. Something that is acceptable when it’s Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr having a gentle move-around in their 50s, but less so when it’s two of the best heavyweights in their respective sports.
It is the sort of event that could actually have a detrimental effect on the sport of boxing. Taking into account the names and personalities involved, there is no doubt the live gate and pay-per-view buyrate would be high. Given Fury’s particular gift for hyping a bout, you can imagine a “fight” with Ngannou would do monster business.
But the negative effects will be felt after the event. If thousands, even millions, of eyes are trained on Fury vs Ngannou then it needs to deliver. Are fans who are being sold a fight and receiving an exhibition going to feel short-changed? Almost certainly. MMA’s greatest knockout artist facing the heavyweight champion of the world in a fight with no knockdowns allowed sounds like a recipe for disaster. Now play that out in front of a huge global broadcast audience and you start to see the damage this thing could do to boxing as a whole.
Heavyweight champions have engaged in exhibitions before. But when the likes of Muhammad Ali did so, it was during busy years where they were having multiple fights. If Fury chooses this route, we may not get a title defence from him at all in 2023. If the Usyk fight really can’t be made, why not give someone else a shot? Andy Ruiz Jr would be a worthy challenger as a former unified champion himself. The winner of Joe Joyce’s rematch with Zhilei Zhang would also be deserving of a championship bout. Unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic is still circling too.
Sure these fights would not generate the same interest in the short-term as an Ngannou exhibition. But they would be genuine, world-level boxing matches. If Fury wants to go down the exhibition route then he should wait until retirement. There will still be money to be made, as you can see from Floyd Mayweather hitting seven figures for fighting YouTubers and the sons of mob bosses. Until then, if he wants to wear the crown, then he needs to actively rule his kingdom.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
