Former World Champion Unaffected By John Fury’s Digs At Him For Slamming Tyson Fury’s Performance Against Francis Ngannou: “I Stick By That No Matter…”

The dust is far from settled on the Tyson Fury– Francis Ngannou fight. In recent developments, former cruiserweight champion, Johnny Nelson has come out with clarification about the criticisms he had levied against the WBC heavyweight title holder. His statements come in the wake of Fury’s father and trainer, John Fury’s retaliation at Nelson’s previous comments.

On the 30th of September, Tyson Fury fought against debutante boxer, Francis Ngannou at the Boulevard Hall of Riyadh in an exhibition-esque fight. Ever since its inception, Fury was heavily under fire for going against a novice fighter like Ngannou and not chasing the unification of titles clash against Oleksandr Usyk. However, in the days leading to the Ngannou clash, experts saw the latter as the underdog. He was someone who’d never boxed before going against a world champion. Yet, on fight night Fury won only through a split decision prompting experts like Nelson to rise in criticism of him.

Nelson clarifies his ‘Legs are gone’ statement

As the Ngannou fight had elapsed, former champion Nelson failed to believe how an abled fighter like ‘Gypsy King’ underperformed. He claimed that Fury was either unprofessional or had begun slipping in his career. In a controversial take, he remarked, “His legs have gone. I’m trying to think have his legs gone and he’s started to slip and we’ve now seen it?” As the comments came to light, Nelson faced heavy flak for his statements.

Now, while clearing the air around his controversial statements, Nelson stood firm with what he said, “I stick by that no matter what John Fury says. No matter what anybody in the team says. I stick by it. There’s not way in a million years, Tyson Fury prepared how he should’ve prepared mentally as well as physically and performed like that. And if he performed like and he prepared right, his legs have gone.” 

Earlier, in response to Nelosn’s criticism, Fury’s father, John Fury had emerged to defend not just his son but even Ngannou. In a scathing comment at Nelson and his likes, John said, “They’re full of s**t. Forget them. They’re haters. Shut up. God Almighty.”  He further complained that people like Nelson, “these so-called boxing experts,” know nothing about their jobs.

Defending his son’s performance, Senior Fury argued that if Nelson said that Tyson hardly won because he did not train properly then the latter was underestimating Ngannou’s boxing prowess. However, Nelson still thinks Fury will emerge against the odds for his next fight.

Tyson Fury will be back, believes his critic

Gypsy King’s ultimate unification of title clash against Oleksandr Usyk has been scheduled for the 17th of February, 2024. The fight will be a part of the lucrative Saudi season and will take its course in all the glory history demands. After 1999’s clash of such nature between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, the Fury-Usyk clash will determine the undisputed champion in the weight class.

A leveled fight in its truest sense, Johnny Nelson says he remains excited for the clash.  He also believes that Fury will enter the ring against the Ukrainian fighter better prepared than he was for Ngannou. Nelson said, “I expect Tyson Fury to be a completely different animal against Oleksandr Usyk because he knows he’s got to tick every single god damn box. He’s got to make sure he’s got it right. Because he cannot fight like against Oleksandr Usyk because he’d get knocked out. And he knows he can’t.”

Also Read: Tyson Fury Snubs Oleksandr Usyk Fight As “Not Really Historical” Despite All Belts Being On The Line

The Fury-Usyk fight comes after almost a year of constant back-and-forth in the negotiation process. It has indeed been confirmed that they will face off against each other to give the boxing world its next undisputed heavyweight champion.

Who do you think will win between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Uysk? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story: Father John Fury and Tommy Fury’s Honest reaction on Tyson Fury’s performance against Francis Ngannou