Russ Anber Slams Tyson Fury for Not Facing Oleksandr Usyk
World-renowned boxing trainer and Cutman, Russ Anber, voiced his frustration about the current state of the heavyweight boxing scene in a recent interview with Seconds Out. Anber took issue with Tyson Fury’s decision to take on UFC fighter Francis Ngannou instead of facing fellow Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to unify the belts.
Russ Anber Slams Tyson Fury
“I’m at a loss to understand boxing anymore,” Anber said, clearly disappointed with the direction the sport has taken. “The heavyweight champion of the world can keep his title and fight Francis Ngannou, regardless of the magnitude of the fight. You could make any fight between two people who are not even boxers, and it could potentially be a big ticket-selling event. I’m talking about the heavyweight champion of the world, who has refused and gone out of his way to avoid fighting the other guy in Usyk.”
Anber was highly critical of Tyson Fury’s decision to fight Francis Ngannou, pointing out that the UFC star has never had a professional boxing contest. “You’re fighting somebody who has zero professional boxing matches. How does that make sense? The fact that he’s allowed to do it is even more insanity,” Anber added.
The boxing trainer expressed his belief that Tyson Fury should relinquish the WBC title if he is more interested in taking part in novelty fights rather than defending against legitimate contenders like Usyk. “If Tyson Fury wanted to fight Ngannou because of the event, then go ahead and do it, but let somebody else fight for the WBC title. Oleksandr Usyk wants to be the champion of the world uncontested like he was at Cruiserweight, Undisputed. You can’t keep holding onto the title and fighting a guy who hasn’t had a professional boxing contest and still call yourself the champion,” he argued.
Russ’s Thoughts On Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
Anber felt that the fight between Fury and Usyk, both top-tier heavyweight champions, should have been the sole focus, but it was clearly avoided. “If you wanted to make the fight, you would have made the fight, simple as that. There’s no forget about ‘yeah, but he said, and he said,’ then it goes to negotiate it and make it happen. Usyk was more than accommodating on all the conditions put forth, and you still didn’t want to make it happen. It’s been a robbery to the boxing world,” he lamented.
Anber also criticized the commissions and governing bodies for allowing such matchups to occur, emphasizing that it undermines the credibility of the sport. “We’re making it a joke. Our own people inside the sport, the heavyweight champion of the world, the athletic commissions, the governing bodies are making it a joke,” he concluded.
Full Interview with Seconds Out and Russ Anber
By NoSmokeSport