Tyson Fury has claimed Wayne Rooney will join his camp for a month to help with preparations ahead of a possible showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
The ‘Gypsy King’ cruised to a comfortable win over Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the fight stopped in the tenth round in an incredibly one-sided affair.
Boxing fans hope it is an undisputed bout for Fury next up, one that would see him put his WBC title on the line against Usyk, who currently holds all the other heavyweight titles. That fight could potentially take place in March next year.
Rooney expressed his admiration for Fury after the latest win over Chisora, suggesting he should be knighted, and in response the 34-year-old revealed he wanted to spar the current DC United manager ahead of fighting Usyk.
Those comments did not appear to be entirely serious, but Fury has now claimed Rooney will be brought in for the training camp once that bout is agreed.
“I spoke to Wayne last night and he’s well up for it,” Fury told ITV on Monday.
“But he’s a right-handed person, so he has to switch up to be a southpaw, left-handed. So we’re going to bring Wayne in for preparation for Usyk.”
Fury insisted he was not joking: “No, [I’m being] very very serious. He’s agreed, so he’s going to come into camp for about four weeks and help me. I’m a big fan of his as well.”
While London could host the undisputed bout, it is more likely that Fury and Usyk would meet in the Middle East.
Promoter Frank Warren believes the fight should, and will, take place wherever the biggest purse can be generated.
“You’ve got the World Cup and the Olympics, and they both go wherever there’s the most money,” Warren told Standard Sport. “This is our World Cup.
“If Saudi put up the money, fantastic. It’s about where we can generate the most income. I think it’s a bit early to say at this stage but they’ve put their boxing as where they want to be and this is the biggest heavyweight fight out there for God knows how many years.
“It’s a historic fight and London is certainly in the conversation because Tyson loves the atmosphere of his fights in the UK.”
