Four-time world champion Carl Froch has told talkSPORT that Tyson Fury privately messaged him to say that he is only taking the Francis Ngannou fight for the money.Fury is set to face the former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in October in Saudi Arabia, with the announcement of the fight causing controversy among combat sport fans.Unsurprisingly, most fans wanted to see Fury take on Oleksandr Usyk in order to unify the heavyweight division, while a lot wanted Ngannou to stick to his specialised format of MMA.However, the two heavyweights know what will make them the most money, and that's exactly why they've agreed to share the ring together later this year.

What has Carl Froch said about Fury vs Ngannou?

Froch admitted he has no interest in this fight, saying: "Well I've got to stand by what I said in my immediate reaction which was, 'It's a load of s***.' As a boxing fan, I've got absolutely zero interest in Fury fighting Ngannou. No interest at all.

“It might get massive numbers, it might make a lot of money. I think the Saudis want to pay big money for it, so that's fine, but just say it how it is, call it for what it is.”

Frank Warren, meanwhile, has come out and said that it is a ‘big fight’, to which Froch said that it should not be called that, and that they should just come out and say it’s just for a bit of fun.

Carl Froch leaks Tyson Fury text messages

Froch said he spoke to Fury, who said it is about the money, revealing: “He sent me a message saying, ‘Listen, it’s about the money. It’s the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing,’ that’s what he said to me. I said, ‘You’re gonna be getting paid more for this fight than any other fight you would’ve taken? A bigger fight than Oleksandr Usyk?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a bigger fight, I’m getting paid more than I would’ve got.’”

Fans have reacted to this comment, with one saying that Fury has ‘always been about the money.’

“Fury has always been about the money. He had said in the past that he doesn't like boxing. Even though it had helped him in life. I don't blame em.”

One fan’s reaction seemed to indicate that he wasn’t the biggest fan of Fury.

“I hope Ngannou gets lucky and flattens the big oaf… then the really hard John Fury runs into the ring and Ngannou closes that big mouth with a short sharp right hand, now I’d pay to watch that, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen, and I won’t be watching.”

What has Anthony Joshua said about Fury vs Ngannou?

When Anthony Joshua was asked about it at his announcement press conference for his fight with Dillian Whyte, he said: “Why? He should’ve been fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Straight up. That’s nonsense.

"If we’re acknowledging his business, good luck to the man. Do your thing. If it’s right for him, what’s it got to do with me? That’s my three views on it."

Fury comes into a fight with Ngannou on the back of a win against Derek Chisora at the end of 2022 via a TKO in round 10 of their bout.