- UFC president open to talks with boxing heavyweight about cross-over after Deontay Wilder bout
- ‘Gypsy King’ says boxing disparity between him and UFC heavyweight champion is ‘10 times worse than McGregor vs Mayweather’
Dana White says Tyson Fury "really is interested in fighting" after talking to the lineal heavyweight boxing champion " but only after the Wilder rematch next year.
Fury (professional boxing record 29-0-1) is scheduled to face Wilder (41-0-1) on February 22 after their WBC world heavyweight title draw in 2018. Wilder defended his title after knocking contender Luis Ortiz out in the seventh round last month.
"It's interesting, he and I talked the other day and he really is interested in fighting. I respect that", UFC boss White said on 106.7 radio show Chad Dukes vs The World.
"Let's see what happens with his boxing career. He's got this rematch with Wilder coming up, it's gonna be a huge and fun fight for the heavyweight division."
Fury, who has openly stated that he has three fights left on his boxing contract, confirmed his interest in a future MMA-boxing crossover fight. The "Gypsy King" defeated Otto Wallin after sustaining an early cut in their September fight.
The 31-year-old was seen training elbows and knees with UFC middleweight Darren Till in November, with Till saying there was a 70 per cent chance fans would see Fury in the Octagon in future. White had initially expressed his doubts over why Fury would want to "get smashed" in the UFC.
"Big shout-out to Darren Till. You know I've always been interested in fighting, it's where I come from. Whether it's boxing, kick-boxing, MMA, it's all like contact sports isn't it. I think I'm athletic enough to do any fight sport for sure " nobody can tell me it's too dangerous if you're gonna get your arm broke or whatever," Fury said on the True Geordie Podcast.
Since cross-over rumours emerged, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and contender Francis Ngannou have called Fury out. Both appear to want a boxing bout before a return leg in MMA.
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@bronzebomber don't go sleep on me sucker, I'm coming for you punk!!!
A post shared by Tyson Fury (@gypsyking101) on Dec 4, 2019 at 5:56am PST
"Can you imagine I sign to fight Stipe, their heavyweight champion, and we have a cross-over fight?" Fury said. "I look at Francis Ngannou and Stipe (Miocic), they would be like six-round bill-fillers if they were boxers. They wouldn't even win the central area titles " they can't box, they're just brawlers.
"I've been hit by the biggest punchers in heavyweight history. Deontay Wilder, all knockouts, Dr Steelhammer (Wladimir Klitschko) … and I'm still here telling the story. So if I can't beat a six-round bill-filler who's got the striking force of a middleweight … it's different games.
"Their game ain't to go standing up with me and punching because there's only one winner. And me with them four-ounce gloves on, I'd smash them all but, they're gonna try to take me to the floor. So if I put the time and effort in to not getting took to the floor, then I think I can chin them."
While Miocic is considered to be one of MMA's best boxers, Fury said a match-up in the ring would be an even bigger divide than the infamous McGregor vs Mayweather bout in 2017.
"If he'd come into a boxing ring with boxing rules, it'd be 10 times worse than McGregor vs Mayweather," Fury said. "At least McGregor knows how to box " he's grown up around boxing in gyms in Dublin. Stipe can't box. It wouldn't be a boxing contest. But in (the MMA) world, I'd be intrigued to see if he can take what I can put out, for sure.
"Me, Conor McGregor and Darren Till … it wouldn't take a lot (to seriously get into MMA). I've got three fights left on my contract, when they're up then I'm coming for every UFC heavyweight there is," Fury said, adding that he would "flatten" WWE and former UFC star Brock Lesnar "in 30 seconds" in a combat fight.
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