Fury reveals next target on his hit list
TYSON Fury could be set to fight for a version of the world heavyweight title later this year after he revealed he may face WBA regular champion Manuel Charr next.
Fury makes his long-awaited return to the ring on Saturday after two-and-a-half years out when he faces Sefer Seferi at the Manchester Arena.
The 29-year-old hopes to be active over the next year, and could fight again as soon as September if he is victorious against Seferi.
A potential opponent for Fury in September is Charr, who holds the WBA regular belt after his victory over Alexander Ustinov in November. Boxing politics means that the WBA sometimes has two champions in each weight class, with Anthony Joshua holding the ‘Super’ WBA heavyweight title.
It has led to the WBA receiving a lot of criticism on their insistence to have more than one world champion, but Fury insists he sees it as a proper world title.
“I’m not bothered which world champion I fight first, get me anybody. People keep going on about this regular belt, but when Alexander Povetkin had it, he was the world champion and Russia had its first world heavyweight champion,” said Fury.
“When David Haye had it, it was a world title. Everyone since who’s had it, it’s been a world title. But since poor old Manuel Charr’s had it, it’s apparently not. That’s everyone’s opinion. Charr is a bona fide world heavyweight champion because if he isn’t, I’m going to erase Povetkin. I’m erasing him off the world champion list if they’re erasing Manuel Charr.
“The WBA belt goes back a long way and as far as I’m concerned, the WBA Super title is a paper title made up in 2011 for Wladimir Klitschko.”
Promoter Frank Warren hopes that Charr will be ringside on Saturday to witness the fight, ahead of a potential showdown with Fury later in the year.
He said: “Seferi went 10 rounds with Manuel Charr, who is now the WBA regular heavyweight champion. If Tyson stops the guy – and I think he will – that will be better than that champion has done and I hope he will be there on Saturday night.” Fury has received some backlash over the calibre of opponent he is facing, as Seferi has spent the majority of his career campaigning at cruiserweight. Fury said: “I said to Eddie Hearn I would fight Joshua in my comeback, but he said no chance. “I said get him in and I’ll beat the weightlifter now. He said no. Frank Warren picked Seferi because the other ones won’t fight me.”
I’m not bothered which world champion I fight first, get me anybody Tyson Fury