By Robert Segal: Oleksandr Usyk seems less than pleased with the news that Tyson Fury will possibly defend his WBC heavyweight title against Anthony Joshua next.
Although unified champion Usyk insists he’s not upset that Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) can fight former two-time world champion Joshua on December 3 in the UK, his reaction suggests otherwise.
It sounds like Usyk would like Fury to sit back and wait until the two meet for the undisputed championship in February or March instead of taking a risky fight he could lose against Joshua in December.
There is a rematch clause to the Fury-Joshua fight, which means if Fury is beaten, the two will meet for a second time in 2023.
For Usyk, he would have to sit back and wait for the smoke to clear for the two fights between Fury and AJ and then take on the last man standing.
“I’m not angry. The biggest problem is that Fury is not letting the fans see one of the best fights in boxing history,” Oleksandr Usyk told RingTV, reacting to Tyson Fury’s likely fight against Anthony Joshua in December.
“That’s his fault. It is not mine. From a sportsmanship point of view, it’s not right.”
As you can see, Usyk is less than thrilled at the prospect of Fury fighting Joshua next, and you can’t blame him.
WBC will sanction Fury vs. Joshua
“It seems to be close. I’ve been following the news as have you, and it seems very doable. It would be a sensational fight to close out, which has been a historic year,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told Secondsout about the Fury vs. Joshua.
“Tyson Fury is free at this time to make a voluntary defense. He did the mandatory in April [against Dillian Whyte]. We will receive notification from the promoter in April and then we will sanction the fight.
“It’s going to be huge. It has great potential to be done. If it happens, it will be one of the biggest events in boxing history,” Sulaiman said of the Fury-Joshua clash. Not only in England but in general because of the elements it brings.
“Bring in the best fans who are from the UK. It brings two huge men, very popular with the social networks they run. It’s as big as it can get,” Sulaiman said.
