Ariel Helwani is “baffled” by Tyson Fury’s extreme disrespect towards Francis Ngannou

Ariel Helwani is ‘baffled’ by Tyson Fury’s extreme disrespect towards Francis Ngannou.

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou is set to make his boxing debut against WCB heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Saturday, October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With that fight only weeks away, it was announced that Tyson Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk on December 23rd, or failing that, in January of 2024.

That announcement has left many questioning the timing and believing it was very disrespectful of Fury to commit to a second fight before his scheduled fight with Ngannou later this month.

Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’ weighed in on the decision to announce the Usyk vs Fury fight prior to the match-up with Ngannou saying:

“When I saw this news come out, I was baffled. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe it. Initially, what I felt was, ‘If I’m Francis Ngannou, am I extremely disrespected right now?’ … That’s how I was feeling on his behalf. So, what I did was I reached out to Francis and his team, and I was like, ‘Am I off base here or this the right sentiment?’ They confirmed to me that I was feeling the right way. I can’t believe that everyone involved did this.”

Continuing, Ariel Helwani believes Francis Ngannou has indeed been disrespected by Tyson Fury and his team (h/t MMANews):

“We, as a public, have had to warm up to the idea of the fight. They’ve had to educate the world… ‘No, this is a legitimate thing.’ … Now all you’ve done is tell people, ‘No, this is the tune-up. This is the tune-up that you thought it was, the exhibition you thought it was.’ … Why not wait until October 28? Why not do what we’ve seen so many times? Fight ends, there’s a winner, Tyson Fury, throw to the video package, and next it’s the one you’ve truly been waiting for. Why did it have to happen on September 30? … I feel like the luster has been taken away. I feel like the stakes have been diminished. I feel like Francis has been disrespected.”

Ngannou did take to ‘X’ with the following comment:

“I don’t know what’s the minimum medical suspension in boxing, but I really don’t understand how Tyson Fury can fight in December after what’s going to happen on 10/28”

It’s good to be confident.

Do you believe Ngannou has been disrespected by the announcement of the Tyson/Usyk fight? Do you think ‘The Predator’ has a chance in the ring against Tyson Fury?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!