Oleksandr Usyk is not sure what to make of Tyson Fury’s performance against Francis Ngannou on Saturday night.
The WBC champion retained his unbeaten record in controversial circumstances against the former UFC heavyweight fighter.
Ngannou had Fury on the canvas in the third round but the Briton recovered to put in a performance that convinced the judges to award him a victory on a split decision.
Many observers thought that the Cameroonian had done enough to win, and there was surprise that Fury struggled so much, and just how adept the MMA man was.
Fury and Usyk stared one another down in the ring after the fight and both said they were willing to go ahead with their undisputed clash, which had been rumoured for December 23, but could take place at a later date given Fury’s efforts were underwhelming, and he suffered at least one cut to his face that might require time to heal.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Usyk said: "I had an impression that he was playing. I’m not thinking about [if he was playing] but I will be training 100 percent. But listen, it’s boxing. Maybe it was the element of surprise. Maybe.
"I think it was show. See you 23 December.”
Usyk was unsure if Ngannou’s showing should make him more confident over any fight with Fury.
He explained: “I have no idea. Listen, he is a world champion at MMA, that was a hard punch. Then there’s the element of surprise. Maybe Tyson Fury didn’t take it serious, ‘Oh it’s an MMA fighter blah blah blah’. I don’t know.”
"Of course I was surprised [by the knockdown]. I watched the knockdown and I said, ‘Oh, oh, oh Francis! Be careful please!’ I was saying, ‘Tyson! Jab, jab jab, move, jab!’ I was saying that."