Fury has options for his next Tyson tussle
TYSON Fury was arguably robbed of a remarkable comeback last month when his WBC title fight with champion Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles was ruled a draw.
The Manchester fighter immediately expressed an interest in a rematch with the American. However, the Gypsy King believes Wilder and his team don’t fancy a rematch.
It has sparked a debate as to who Fury will face next.
Anthony Joshua would be the obvious pick, a Battle of Britain to decide who is the country’s best heavyweight – and who owns the lineal crown Fury says he still holds. .
In a recent interview with IFL TV Joshua spoke about his plans for 2019 and who he wants to face in April at Wembley Stadium, where he already has a date booked but no opponent.
“If Fury had the strap around his waist of course I would be mentioning Fury,” said Joshua.
“It’s not that I’m not interested in Fury, before it was all about the road to undisputed, but if the fans want me to fight Fury, I’ll fight him in a heartbeat.”
It’s clear Joshua would prefer to fight Wilder first as he has the final world title belt – and Fury could well have unlocked a few weak points he feels he could take advantage of.
And a fight with Fury wouldn’t give him that undisputed title that he craves.
There are plenty of other options for unbeaten Fury – the heavyweight division is more competitive than ever.
One potential suitor is fellow Briton Dillian Whyte who has now twice defeated Fury’s previous opponent Dereck Chisora. Whyte is one of the top five heavyweights in the division and is hungry for a rematch with Joshua.
A fight with Fury would be a great opportunity for Whyte to show Joshua and Wilder they can’t continue to snub him.
Another potential suitor would be New Zealand’s Joseph Parker. The former world champion will be very keen to return to his best after backto-back defeats to Joshua and Whyte.
Fury has stated in the past he has a lot of admiration for Parker and even gave him a hug during a press conference before his cousin Hughie faced off against the Kiwi in September 2017. That mutual respect could lead to a future bout which would be in the interests of both men, but only as a stop-gap for Fury.
Having dominated at cruiserweight level, Tony Bellew’s conqueror Oleksandr Usyk has set his sights on the heavyweight division. And who better to fight than the former world champion Fury? Usyk proved his heavyweight credentials when he dispatched Bellew with ease in October, a man who twice defeated former world heavyweight champ David Haye.
One thing is for sure, Fury isn’t the hottest property in heavyweight boxing despite his amazing comeback.
Joshua is still the top dog and the man everyone wants to fight - and so he is the man who can call the shots.
But the Londoner knows Fury is the opponent the fans want to see him fight.