Tyson Fury Did Not Want to Announce Oleksandr Usyk Bout Pre-Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury would have preferred to take things one step at a time, but he says his hand was forced in this case.

Fury (33-0) is set to take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing superfight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hardly a month ahead of the matchup Fury’s team announced that “The Gypsy King” will take on Oleksandr Usyk (21-0) in December or January to determine the undisputed heavyweight champ.

For many the Usyk bout announcement seemed dismissive of Fury’s upcoming clash against “The Predator.” Fury claims he was displeased when the news dropped and claims to have played no role in it whatsoever.

According to Fury, who appeared this week on “The MMA Hour,” it is the “paymaster” who is in control of such decisions.

“It wasn’t my choice. I would never in a million years do that. But the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the money, they’re in control. They’re the promoters of the event. So, the paymaster does what the paymaster wants, basically."

“But if it was up to me, I would have never, ever, ever done that. Ever. Because I never count chickens before they hatch. Ever. I wasn’t happy at first for them to announce it, but there was a lot going on in the background. For me, I don’t concentrate on any other fight other than Saturday night. What happens in the future stays in the future. I’m living for today and this moment.”

Although Fury might be laser-focused on his upcoming opponent, there is no denying the WBC champ’s status as an overwhelming favorite over boxing neophyte Ngannou. However, “The Gypsy King” isn’t paying much heed to what the bookmakers or pundits have to say.

“You can’t listen to the betting odds, you can’t listen to what the pundits say, or what the boxing people or anybody, because they’re not in there on the night. And if you start listening to people who are not boxing, then that’s the time you fail. I don’t take anybody lightly.”