By Charles Brun: Tyson Fury is reportedly negotiating with Saudi Arabia to come out of retirement to battle the winner of the August rematch between Anthony Joshua and unified three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
If all goes well, WBC heavyweight champion Fury will fight the Joshua-Usyk II winner in December. However, Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Joshua, believes that the only way Fury will fight the winner is if it’s AJ.
Hearn feels that Fury wants no part in fighting the elusive, quick-footed southpaw Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), who would be a nightmarish opponent.
Of course, few believed Fury was ever seriously retired, and they always assumed it was just another one of his gags to get boxing fans talking about him.
The money that Fury can make fighting for the undisputed championship against the AJ vs. Usyk 2 winner should be enough to get him to take the fight, but we’ll have to see.
Many boxing fans have lost faith in Fury due to him repeatedly talking about retirement, as they feel he’s lost his hunger for the sport after making millions upon millions in his recent fights against Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte.
“The government source there says [to the Daily Mail]: ‘Now the eyes of the world will be firmly on the Kingdom for Joshua v Usyk as a prequel to Tyson Fury against the victor for the undisputed crown, a generation-defining event comparable to Muhammad Ali’s Rumble In The Jungle.'”
“The enormous scale of the money added to Prince Khaled’s friendship with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn made the Ruiz and Usyks rematches possible,” said Jeff Powell to The Daily Mail.
It would help if Fury stepped up and confirmed this news because last week, he said he’s NOT coming back. Fans can’t trust what Fury says because they don’t know if he’s serious or not.
“A similar relationship with Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has helped engage the Gypsy King in discussions to put a predictable end to premature retirement following his recent spectacular victory over Dillian Whyte at Wembley,” said Powell.
It’s quite possible that Fury was never serious about his retirement in the first place and was just messing with people’s minds for the heck of it.
Whatever the case, it would be surprising if he could break free from the inertia to resume his career if it involves fighting Usyk. That guy is all wrong for the 270+ lb Fury, who has slowed down dramatically since replacing his trainer Ben Davison with Sugarhill Steward.
If the vast money that Fury would receive fighting the Joshua-Usyk II winner isn’t enough to drag him off his sofa, that tells you he’s lost his hunger for boxing and doesn’t want it.
Given the track record for Fury, it’s highly questionable whether a fight will come off this year for him against the Joshua vs. Usyk 2 winner.
