22 July 2023 , 08:00
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Former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch has told of how Tyson Fury explained to him that he took his upcoming fight with Francis Ngannou solely for the money.
Froch, a legend of British boxing, claims that he spoke with Fury over text, with the heavyweight world champion telling him that there was no other bout available for the purse. Even an undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia was not offering as big a payout, leading the Brit to take the controversial crossover clash.
The former fighter hasn't shown any proof of his conversation with Fury, but if it were a true chat then the explanation is an obvious one for why he would take such a fight, which won't see him defend his WBC belt. Ngannou is the lineal UFC heavyweight champion but has never boxed before at any level, making his debut against one of the top fighters of his era.
“Listen, it’s about the money," Froch told talkBoxing about the Ngannou bout. "'It’s the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing,’ that’s what he said to me. I said, ‘You’re going to be getting paid more for this fight than any other fight you would’ve taken? A bigger fight than Oleksandr Usyk?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a bigger fight; I’m getting paid more than I would’ve got.’”
Froch is very critical of the fight, claiming that it should be marketed as an exhibition as opposed to a legitimate fight, which will go on both men's records. He understands the financials behind a massive crossover bout but doesn't think that Ngannou stands a chance against Fury.
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“It might get massive numbers. It might make a lot of money," he admitted. "I think apparently the Saudis want to pay big money for it, so that’s fine, but just say it how it is. Call it how it is.
"Just come out and say ‘Listen it’s not a boxing match, it’s not a professional fight, this guy’s probably got no chance, but we’re going to have a bit of fun. It’s going to be an exhibition-type, this guy comes from the UFC background, so he obviously can’t box.' From a business point of view, you can totally understand it, but don’t tell us the game’s changing. Don’t tell us it’s the best thing to happen to boxing in ages and don’t get us excited.”