Carl Froch has described Tyson Fury’s bout with Francis Ngannou as a “joke,” but insists Frank Warren has played a masterstroke by securing him a lucrative payday.
WBC heavyweight champion, Fury faces ex-UFC heavyweight titlist, Francis Ngannou in a non-title bout in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, live on TNT Sports Box Office, with the latter making his boxing debut.
Fury has already signed to fight unified WBA ‘super’, WBO and IBF champion, Oleksandr Usyk and the showdown, which will crown the undisputed champion has been touted for December 23 also in Saudi Arabia, providing ‘The Gypsy King’ overcomes the Cameroon native unscathed.
Whilst former super middleweight champion, Froch has questioned the legitimacy of the bout, he does concede that it may prove an inspired move by Fury’s co-promoter, Warren and claims the 35-year-old is set to earn a career-high purse.
“I think it’s a ‘play fight’ and a bit of a ‘joke shop’ fight,” Froch told My Betting Sites.
“Which I’ve made my opinion quite clear on regarding this Fury vs Ngannou fight – it’s not real boxing, it’s not proper boxing but I think we are now starting to understand it.
“I think maybe it was a cunning plan by Frank Warren – because what he’s done is got this Ngannou fight lined up that boxing purists are not very happy about but in the meantime he’s announced Tyson Fury is fighting Oleksandr Usyk.
“So people are going to watch the Ngannou fight with one eye on the shape and the performance – thinking of what’s around the corner with the fights quite close together.
“A bit of a masterplan, genius from Frank Warren, because at the end of the day, Fury is getting paid his career-biggest payday for a ‘move around’ and I’ve said before I’d have done the same in my career.”
Froch, who has been retired for over nine years, has been continuously linked with a return against YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul.
‘The Cobra’ has likened Saturday’s match-up, which opens the Riyadh Season, to a bout with ’The Problem Child’ and admits he would have happily faced him prior to his maiden world title shot against Jean Pascal in 2008.
The 46-year-old added: “If you were going to get your head smashed by Jean Pascal for X amount of money you can go and fight Jake Paul for 10x that – with the Jake Paul being a warm-up fight for someone like me as Jake Paul couldn’t even lace my boots.
“In fact I would even let Jake Paul lace my boots – that would be disrespecting my boots!
“So, I’d fight him – earn a fortune because of what’s going on at the minute in the world and easy money and onto a proper world title fight.”
