“He Has Been There and Been There Ready”: WBC President Defends Tyson Fury for Choosing to Fight Francis Ngannou Over Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk

After almost a year of being inactive, the WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is finally ready for a comeback. The anticipation of this fight against Francis Ngannou is through the roof. This is because both fighters already stand at the top of their sport, thus the fight has a lot on the line for both fighters. However, even though the fight is huge, it’s not without its share of criticism.

The fight left a lot of fans with mixed feelings as many wanted Fury to face the current unified world champion. What further aggravated the fans is that Fury picked this fight after the Oleksandr Usyk bout fell apart. when the two fights are compared on paper, it is understandable why some fans would feel hard done by. However, an unexpected voice has come out in support of Fury.

Mauricio Sulaiman addresses the failed Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk bout

Since Fury is the WBC title holder, a lot of fans have questioned how he is still holding the belt even though he hasn’t defended it this year at all. It’s important to note that, even in the Ngannou bout, his belt is not on the line.

WBC president recently clarified the situation in an interview with gambling.com. Mauricio Sulaiman stated, “Tyson Fury is the WBC heavyweight champion.” He added that the British boxer has been trying to make fights with boxers like Anthony Joshua, Usyk, and Andy Ruiz Jr. but has been unable to make the fight happen.

According to Sulaiman, the fault lies not with the champion but with the contenders who don’t seem too eager to make the fight. Furthermore, he added, “He is not fighting Oleksandr Usyk because he was not ready last December.”

He also stated that Fury tried again in March but that attempt failed as well. The WBC president claimed, “Anthony Joshua – the same thing, so don’t blame Tyson Fury. He has been there and been there ready.” He seemed to be not putting the blame on Fury for not being able to make these fights.

Sulaiman claims Fury is not the one to be blamed for inactivity

Sulaiman also stated that they don’t mind ‘The Gypsy King’ facing ‘The Predator’. He added that these events are “within the rules of boxing” so he doesn’t find any problem with it. He even compared the event to Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather. Sulaiman said, “We are fine, respectful, and supporting our champion.”

Fury’s decision to fight Ngannou in the absence of mandatory opponents definitely left a lot of fans dissatisfied. However, Sulaiman believes that forcing a mandatory fight on Fury “just for the sake of it” would be a “disservice to the sport.”

Furthermore, he talked about how the WBC had ordered Ruiz Jr. And Wilder to fight for the status of the mandatory contender. However, the fight did not end up materializing.  Sulaiman went further and called, Fury the “best heavyweight without a doubt.”

Read More: Amid Training Camp for Tyson Fury Fight, Mike Tyson Leaves Francis Ngannou’s Side to go on International Trip

Overall, the WBC president didn’t blame Fury and it seems they are not planning to force any mandatory contender on him for now. Fans can only hope that they’ll get to see him facing Usyk soon so that the heavyweight division can finally have its first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis.

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