Tyson Fury Open to Anthony Joshua Fight in Place of Usyk Undisputed Bout!
When it comes to the heavyweight division, the most meaningful fight to be made is WBA Super, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KO’s) versus WBC champ Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (32-0-1, 23 KO’s). Massive attention has been shifted back on this would-be match after Usyk successfully defeated Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-3, 22 KO’s) in their rematch. The only reason that Usyk is a unified champion is because he initially beat AJ to take his belts in the first place.
Naturally, boxing enthusiasts want to see Fury and Usyk trade leather to crown the next undisputed heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian has already crushed any hope of the duel taking place this year. He has publicly stated that his need to rest his body and spend time with his family will force the fight into 2023. This declaration was met by the typical Fury antics that we’ve come to get used to. Yet, even though Usyk is not available, this does not mean that The Gypsy King will remain idle.
BRING ON THE BODYBUILDER!
In a recent Q&A with BT Sport, Fury let it be known that he is open to testing his might against Joshua this year.
“I still think that even though he’s lost three of his last five fights, I still think that people would like to see that fight. So, if Usyk can’t be ready, and doesn’t want the fight for whatever reason, you know a middleweight versus a giant behemoth heavyweight, I can understand why he doesn’t want it. If that fight doesn’t happen then we’ll go and offer AJ the fight.”
WHO WILL FIGHT?!
As Fury himself said, there would no doubt still be intrigue surrounding The Gypsy King versus AJ. Obviously, a great deal of the suspense has been drained away. In fact, the two were planning to collide last year. Well, that’s what they wanted to happen, so they began negotiating a fight while completely ignoring the fact that Wilder was attempting to force a fight with Fury.
In the end, Wilder did force his rematch with Fury only to lose. When AJ didn’t fight Fury, he went on to face and lose to Usyk. Wilder and Joshua have been trying to pick up the pieces ever since. If AJ were to face and topple Fury, he would inject brand new life and respect into his career. That is a big ‘if’ though! If AJ were brutalized, bloodied and knockout like Wilder has been in back-to-back showings, it would likely signal the functional end of his career.
Therefore, this is an offer that Team Joshua will want to think long and hard on! So, first let’s see if the offer is even made and then we can find out how much fire is left in AJ’s heart.
By: Bakari Simpson
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