Tyson Fury does not want to face Anthony Joshua in his next fight (Image: undefined)
has announced his intention to face for a third time if he emerges victorious in their rematch later this month, dashing ‘s dreams of an all-British showdown. Fury and Usyk are set to clash again on December 21 in Riyadh, with ‘The Gypsy King’ seeking retribution after the Ukrainian dealt him his first professional defeat back in May.
Following a split-decision victory, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. While their initial bout was for the undisputed title, this time around, not all the belts will be at stake as the Ukrainian superstar relinquished his IBF title shortly after their fight.
Boxing enthusiasts continue to hope for a Fury-Joshua match to determine the top British heavyweight of this century. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, recently discussed the potential face-off between the two during an interview with iFL TV.
“I think Fury vs AJ is the fight regardless, in all honesty,” he declared. “People keep saying to me ‘ah, AJ’s not rematching Dubois now’ – not true. AJ’s not fighting Dubois on Feb. 22, he still wants to fight him and AJ will return in May or June and that might be against Daniel Dubois, still the biggest fight out there for Dubois. But we also understand the Fury fight is a monster and it will always be a monster. Win or lose for Fury, I think those two should fight twice next year. But if Fury can do the business, that makes Fury vs AJ for the unified heavyweight title, and that would be huge.”
In a recent video posted on DAZN’s official YouTube channel, Fury’s promoter Frank Warren was asked about the legacy stakes for ‘The Gypsy King’ and Usyk ahead of their heavyweight showdown.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet again this month (Image: Getty)
The 72-year-old responded: “What you read afterwards, people were saying that whoever won the fight was going to be the best heavyweight in the 21st century. the first unified champion, and they go up there with all the greats of the past. And I’m glad they said that because, at the moment, Oleksandr got the result, he won the split decision. If Tyson wins it, then that’s where that mantel goes, that he is the best of his generation.”
Despite Warren’s optimism, Tyson Fury appeared to dismiss the idea of an imminent bout with Anthony Joshua. “No Frank! There will be a rematch, a rubber match, trilogy,” Fury declared. “There’s got to be! If he wins one and I win one, I can’t say that I’m better and he can’t say that he’s better. There has to be a third one.”
The heavyweight titans have long been anticipated to clash, but despite the hype, a fight has yet to materialize. They were set to square off in 2022, but negotiations fell through. As the boxing world eagerly awaits the next chapter in this saga, some have suggested Fury should overhaul his team. Yet, the 36 year old has made it clear he’s sticking to his guns for the upcoming rematch.
In conversation with Paul Dempsey about the new boxing game ‘Undisputed,’ Fury was questioned on his tactical preparations for his second encounter with Usyk. “Not much time,” he responded. “I know what I’ve got to do, nothing drastic. People can say ‘I want to change trainers or I’ll blame it on me conditioning coach or I’ll blame it on the cook or I’ll blame it on the mouse next door.’ Same team, same everything. I know what I’ve got to do.”
He further stated: “I thought I won the fight last time. I give him, me boxing all my life and watching boxing me whole career, I give him rounds eight, nine and ten, and round nine was a 10-8. So that’s what I give him out of the fight, but obviously the judges saw it a bit different, couple of them did. One of them had me winning. That’s what it was. It was as close as it can be.”