With the cancellation of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, there’s one question on everyone’s lips: who will the Gypsy King fight next?
The combat sports titans were initially scheduled to face off in late April for the undisputed heavyweight championship title with every intention of crowning the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis (1999/2000). But instead of finalising plans for the epic unification bout’s location – either in Saudi Arabia or the Wembley Stadium – negotiations fell apart.
“The WBC has been extremely supportive of the ultimate unification fight between Fury and Usyk to determine the undisputed champion in the heavyweight division,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
“It is extremely disappointing that such a match will not take place as this window of opportunity will not be there in a long time, it will be difficult to have everything aligned as there are mandatories for each organisation.”
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What or indeed who was the saboteur behind this tragedy? “Crazy” contract demands, seem to be the general consensus with the bulk of the blame currently assigned to Fury; who reportedly wanted an unprecedented 70-30 revenue split in his favour (practically unheard of in this level of boxing) in addition to an entire grocery list of untenable conditions.
“Look at all the s**t they are going through now with Usyk,” British heavyweight great Anthony Joshua – who lost his IBF, WBA, and WBO belts to Oleksandr Usyk – pointed out while reflecting upon the chaos which led to this outcome.
“It’s just crazy. I don’t publicise things so it’s actually good that people are starting to see what goes on in negotiations. It’s good that they can actually see the s**t that [boxers such as Usyk] have got to put up with to make a fight. Me and Usyk got two successful fights done.”
Here’s everything we know about Tyson Fury’s next fight right now.
Tyson Fury Next Fight: Everything We Know So Far
Tyson Fury Overview
Name: Tyson Luke Fury (“The Gypsy King” | “The Furious One” | “2 Fast” Fury)
Age: 34
Date of Birth: August 12, 1988
Height: 6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Last Official Weight: 268.9 lb (122 kg)
Reach: 85 in (216 cm)
Stance: Orthodox
Coach & Team(s): Isaac Lowe
Nationality: English (from Manchester)
Net Worth: £130 million (Estimated)
Social Media Accounts: Instagram – @tysonfury (5.8 million followers) | Twitter – @tyson_fury (2.2 million followers)
Tyson Fury Career Stats
Professional Record: 33 Wins (24 Knockouts, 9 Decisions) – O Losses – 1 Draw
Amateur Record: 31 Wins (26 Knockouts, 5 Decisions) – 4 Losses
Accolades & Accomplishments:
- Current WBC heavyweight champion since defeating Deontay Wilder in 2020
- Previous unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, & The Ring magazine heavyweight championship titleholder after defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015
- History’s third heavyweight to hold The Ring magazine title twice after Floyd Patterson & Muhammad Ali
- The world’s best active heavyweight according to BoxRec & ESPN
- The world’s second-best active boxer (pound-for-pound) according to BoxRec; while ranking sixth according to ESPN & the Boxing Writers Association of America, seventh according to the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board
Potential Replacements For Oleksandr Usyk
**NOTE: “realistic” replacements… none of this pie-in-the-sky Francis Ngannou and MMA crossover BS.
Anthony Joshua
Granted, Anthony Joshua doesn’t exactly have first rights on this front with many questioning whether he’s the same AJ that made a name for himself prior to that incredible upset loss against Andy Ruiz Jr back in 2019. But he’s the man who millions have been clamouring to see Tyson Fury fight for almost three years now.
Beyond money-making potential and entertainment value, the proposed bout has consistently been dubbed “the biggest fight in British boxing history.” Plus it could very well be Joshua’s chance of holding the WBC world heavyweight title – unexplored territory given he’s the former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champ.
Guess we’ll see where AJ stands after he faces Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena come April 1st, 2023.
Andy Ruiz Jr
The WBC’s next two top-ranked heavyweight contenders are former champions Andy Ruiz Jr and Fury’s greatest rival Deontay Wilder (more on the latter shortly).
Currently, while the Destroyer and the Bronze Bomber have not discussed duking it out for a shot at the title – much less agreed to anything of the nature – it’s worth noting the WBC has previously called for them to box in a final eliminator.
“The WBC convention ruled that a final elimination would take place between Wilder and Ruiz to determine the mandatory contender of the division,” said Mauricio Sulaiman (via Sky Sports).
“The WBC had been waiting for the confirmation of the unification fight so we will now review the following steps to be taken.”
Just picture it now. Tyson Fury vs Andy Ruiz Jr. Elite pugilists with the physiques of forklift drivers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at one another. Watch the pay-per-view dollars roll in.
Deontay Wilder (Again)
As outlined above, Deontay Wilder is yet another prospective opponent.
Having already encountered Fury inside the ring thrice – ending in a draw on the first occasion before losing his WBC belt on the second via TKO and failing to recapture said belt after being KO’d the following year – suffice it to say… it’s always guaranteed fireworks.
A fourth fight wouldn’t be a bad option for the fans or Wilder himself.
Derek Chisora (Again)
Unlikely. And downright farcical if Tyson Fury chooses to engage in what is essentially another exhibition match, considering what we saw during their third encounter last December at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Concerningly enough, it’s still a possibility.
Joe Joyce
Fellow British boxing talent Joe Joyce is also in the conversation, recently calling for a “summer showdown” after the collapse of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.
“Fury’s already said he wants to fight me and I think that’s a great fight,” said Joe Joyce.
“Boxing’s just boxing. Some fights take long to build, some don’t. Some happen too soon, some happen too late… I’m just doing my job. I’m preparing for Zhang. I’m going to beat Zhang’s ass and then hopefully I’ll beat Fury’s if he wants it.”
The undefeated 15-0 contender puts his WBO interim belt on the line against Zhilei Zhang at London’s Copper Box on April 15th, 2023.
Two Times The Charm: Could Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk Still Happen?
At the time of this writing, Tyson Fury remains undefeated. Although that could change should the WBC world heavyweight champion ever meet Oleksandr Usyk to compete for the undisputed heavyweight title.
The prevailing theory is that Fury made the negotiation process as difficult as possible for fear he may finally taste defeat in his professional career. Whether that’s actually the case is anybody’s guess. Whether that’s actually the case is irrelevant now that the negotiation for the mandatory fight between Usyk and Daniel Dubois has been ordered.
Then there’s the matter of $$$.
“Unless Queensberry Promotions [Fury’s promoters] somehow win a jackpot lottery and have enough money to pay Tyson’s demands, it is very unlikely to happen,” said Usyk’s manager Alexander Krassyuk while in conversation with BBC Sport.
There is, however, a palpable feeling of optimism.
“I’ve just got this feeling that it might still get done but okay, it appears no. But they seem to be arguing over a very, very small point in the contract if it’s just the split on the rematch. Maybe they still get it done,” Wasserman promoter Kalle Sauerland told Sky Sports.
“It’s unfortunate but I still think we’ll see that fight one day.”
Fingers crossed.
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