Triumphant Fury eyes reunification
TYSON Fury retained his World Boxing Council heavyweight title with a decisive stoppage win over British rival Derek Chisora at the weekend before setting his sights on a blockbuster unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk.
The result was rarely in doubt with Fury, still unbeaten as a professional, in control from the opening bell.
And with Chisora’s eyes starting to close, referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight nine seconds before the end of the 10th round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 34-year-old now boasts a record of 33 wins from 34 fights with one draw. Fury’s latest win also paved the way for a unification bout with Usyk, the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion.
Usyk was at ringside as he returned to the venue where he deprived Britain’s Anthony Joshua of all those titles in September last year before defeating him again in Jeddah in July this year.
And soon after a comprehensive win, Fury was involved in a face-off with Usyk as the Ukrainian entered the ring.
Fury, after thanking a crowd of some 60,000 and paying tribute to his beaten opponent by leading spectators in a chant of “One Derek Chisora”, turned his attention to Usyk with British heavyweight Joe Joyce also coming onto the ring apron.
“Usyk, you’re next, you 15stone little bodybuilding midget. I’ve done one Ukrainian, (Wladimir) Klitschko, let’s get it on,” Fury told BT Sport.
Usyk remained silent, with Chisora adding: “Thank you Tyson, I really appreciate that. We are friends.
“There’s a big fight coming, everyone wants to see one champion in the heavyweight division.”
Fury, meanwhile, then turned his attention to Joyce.
“I’m saying Joe Joyce, a brilliant fighter, he deserves a title fight,” Fury said. “If the rabbit (Usyk) doesn’t fight, we’ll fight at Wembley.”
Joyce added: “I’ll take either.”
Fury’s only previous fight this year was a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April. “I felt good, I needed some rounds, I haven’t boxed since April,” said Fury. “I was landing good punches. But take nothing from Del Boy (Chisora), it was a pleasure to fight tonight, he is a British folk hero.”
After the Whyte fight, Fury announced his retirement only for the lure of the ring to prove too strong. A bout with Usyk is the fight fans want to see, while a long anticipated “Battle of Britain” between Fury and Joshua fell through after talks between the two camps collapsed. That led Fury to fight Chisora instead.
Fury was an overwhelming favourite to beat Chisora given he’d defeated him convincingly in their two previous bouts, including a 10thround stoppage when they last met eight years ago.
Last week marked the seven-year anniversary of Fury’s stunning success over Klitschko that saw him first become world champion.