By Craig Page: In a circus-like move, fringe contender Mahmoud Charr used a lion in calling out WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury for a fight today.
Using a lion as a prop, Charr said in a video today, “the lion is hungry,” and he wants Fury to “sign the contract.”
The former WBA champion Charr (33-4, 19 KOs) had been a candidate that Fury had briefly mentioned as a possibility for his December 3rd fight in Cardiff, Wales. However, Fury has stopped mentioning the 37-year-old Charr, and it’s believed by some that he was never serious about fighting him.
Fury says he has several candidates for his next fight that he will be selecting from next week. He mentioned wanting to face a southpaw, ideally because that would help him prepare for unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in early 2023.
No names were mentioned by Fury, but you’d have to believe that it will be a bottom-dweller contender he faces because the contenders mostly fight out of the orthodox stance.
Although journeyman Dereck Chisora’s name has been bandied about as a possibility for Fury, he said it was “news to him” that he’s going to go in that direction.
Chisora is not a southpaw, and his fighting style is nothing like Usyk’s. If it’s just about money for Fury, Chisora would be a good choice for the British public because he’s a big name in England. In the U.S, Chisora isn’t a household name, and it would be a waste of time for Fury to face him.
“We’ve got a few opponents lined up. I can’t let too much out of the bag because we’re having a press conference next week. There’s a few in the hat, and we’re going to pick one,” said Tyson Fury to Behind The Gloves about his December opponent. “I think this coming week.
“Whoever acts the most sensible will get the fight. The one that acts the most ridiculous won’t get the fight. I’m picking these mother f****ers. I’m giving them a little payday. I make more millionaires than the lotto. These days anyway. It’s not always been like that,” said Fury.
You could argue that Charr walking a lion would count as being “ridiculous” for getting a fight with Fury, but you never know with him.
