BOXERS calling out mixed martial artists, and vice versa, has always smacked of desperation but never more so than during a worldwide pandemic.
With a whole host of fighters itching for a fight, any fight, and more importantly a payday, it should come as no surprise that Dillian Whyte, the heavyweight boxer with a May 2 boxing match likely to get cancelled, is eyeing up future fights against a couple of UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] heavyweights.
In a video interview posted on his YouTube channel, Whyte, who has a kickboxing background, called out current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, then proceeded to label top contender Francis Ngannou a โcowardโ.
โIโll fight Stipe Miocic,โ said Whyte, who is somehow still scheduled to fight Alexander Povetkin in a 16,000-seater arena on May 2. โIโll kick him in the face. Iโll give Stipe one of these [elbows]. All Iโve got to do with Stipe is just keep him moving. Heโll just try take me down, he might go to sleep before I go down though.
โYeah, Iโll fight UFC. Iโll do one boxing fight, one UFC. One boxing fight, one MMA fight, tell Dana White to hit me up.
โIโll fight Francis Ngannou. I would lick him down. He ainโt go not chin, heโs a coward, bro. I would knock out Francis Ngannou, trust me. All he can do is try and take me down, thatโs it.
โOne boxing fight, one MMA fight. If you want MMA first, letโs go. Boxing first, letโs go. Even Muay Thai, fight me in kickboxing โ three-fight deal, tell Dana White.โ
No. Please donโt.
We knew it was no longer happening on July 18, and we knew Bob Arum, the fightโs promoter, wanted it in October, but now, according to Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, a third fight between heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will take place on October 3 in Las Vegas.
Or at least thatโs the plan โ the latest one. But if thereโs one thing risky to do โ admittedly, not the riskiest thing to do โ during the coronavirus pandemic it is making plans and expecting anything other than scepticism.