Former champion accuses Tyson Fury of "hurting" the sport of boxing

Carl Froch has slammed Tyson Fury for hurting the sport of boxing.

'The Gpysy King' is currently slated to return to the ring next month against Francis Ngannou. While a historic bout with a lot of attention, it was not what all fans wanted to see. For the better part of this year, Fury was in talks with Oleksandr Usyk.

'The Cat' claimed heavyweight gold with back-to-back wins over Anthony Joshua, but has made it clear he's not done there. Usyk and Fury went face-to-face after the latter's knockout win over Derek Chisora last December, teasing a future clash.

If that bout against Usyk had been made, it would've led to the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis. Nonetheless, Tyson Fury instead decided to go ahead and fight the aforementioned Ngannou. Losing out on the historic title unification has led to the ire of many.

At the press conference announcing the bout this month, Fury went off on his critics, including Carl Froch. 'The Cobra' previously slammed the heavyweight for not fighting Usyk. According to Fury, that's partially jealousy.

He responded to the heavyweight in a recent video on his YouTube channel. There, Froch stated:

"Alright, you're taking the money, that's great, but when your career's over you want your legacy to be intact. The fans are turning against you - it's sad to see. Deep down I think you know you're hurting the sport. You're taking the money instead of being full of pride for the sport."

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Could Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk still happen?

Once again, talks have resumed between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Earlier this year, the two heavyweight champions got deep in talks. However, plans for an April clash in London, and plans for a December bout in Saudi Arabia both fell apart due to financial issues.

As a result, 'The Gypsy King' booked a fight with Francis Ngannou for October. Meanwhile, Usyk returned to the ring last month in Poland, scoring a knockout win. If Fury is able to defeat 'The Predator' it seems that he might fight the Ukrainian after all.

The news was first reported by Mike Coppinger of ESPN Ringside. According to the report, there's a lot of optimism behind the scenes that the fight will finally happen next year in Saudi Arabia. Obviously, Fury will have to get through the former UFC champion unscathed.

Even then, there's no guarantee the fight will happen. Nonetheless, it's a good sign that the heavyweight champions are talking once again.