"Get me paid a sh** ton of money" - Tyson Fury claims he would have stayed retired if not for Francis Ngannou fight

Tyson Fury is days away from the first true crossover fight of his career, as he will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a boxing match set for this Saturday. The two men come from different worlds, with Fury being the premier heavyweight boxing attraction.

Meanwhile, Ngannou once set the world of heavyweight MMA alight with his thunderous knockouts. Now, the Cameroonian phenom is being credited with sparking Tyson Fury's competitive fire, to a degree. According to the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, he would stuck to retirement were it not for Ngannou.

Fury made (at 6:39 minutes) the sensational claim during a recent YouTube interview with iFL TV:

"I wish there was someone my size I could do one of those f**king fights with. I seen Tommy fight Jake Paul and all the opportunities to fight all these other guys and KSI and his brother and all these other people. I thought, 'I wonder if there's anybody my size' and this fight's come up and, obviously, he's my size. So, I'm happy, very happy, and for Francis Ngannou, other doors have opened. So big shout out, Francis. Kept me in the game, kept me in the boxing game and get me paid a sh** ton of money."

It appears that Tyson Fury's main source of motivation was having an entertaining crossover fight with someone of a similar size. He further claims to have been inspired by the bouts his younger brother, Tommy Fury, has had with the likes of Jake Paul, as well as his recent clash with KSI.

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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk finally agree on terms for their long-awaited fight

Tyson Fury is not the easiest boxer to negotiate with. 'The Gypsy King' is notoriously stubborn when it comes to a contract's terms. This has earned him widespread criticism from boxing fans, some of whom have accused him of making unreasonable demands.

However, the much-discussed matchup between him and Oleksandr Usyk is finally in motion. On September 29, both men signed a contract to face each other in an undisputed heavyweight title tentatively scheduled for December 23. But, depending on the Ngannou bout, the fight could be pushed back to January.