The search for Tyson Fury’s next opponent continues to rumble on.
The lineal heavyweight champion currently holds the WBC belt but is yet to schedule his first fight of 2023. Fury was last in the ring for his stoppage victory over Derek Chisora in December but was unable to finalise an agreement for a unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk and has seen talks with Anthony Joshua fall flat.
Usyk has now been ordered to fight mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, with Joshua also chasing an opponent for August, leading to plenty of other names emerging as potential opponents for the ‘Gypsy King’. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that Fury will be fighting domestically in Spetember, though an opponent is yet to be named. Here we keep track of the latest names mooted to be fighting Fury:
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'Big announcement'
The 34-year-old recently hinted that a fight agreement may not be too far away. Speaking on his Instagram story, Fury said: “Keep tuned, big announcement coming. I know I've said it a few times now but I'm very excited. It’s here, it’s landed.”
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has ruled out the possibility of calling a mandatory challenger for Fury's next fight, with the organisation still hoping to agree a title eliminator between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr.
Meanwhile, the 'Gypsy King' has found himself at the centre of speculation over two possible crossover fights. Fury previously faced off with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the ring and his UFC successor Jon Jones has also entertained the idea of facing the lineal heavyweight champion in a boxing ring.
"Here's a thought," Fury posted on social media. "How about this, how about I fight Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou on the same night, how about that? That's how much I value those two bums. Let's go, boys."
Anthony Joshua
The showdown that British boxing fans dreamt about for years has lost some of its shine since AJ’s back-to-back defeats to Usyk. Joshua did get back in the win column against Jermaine Franklin in April, though, and Fury recently suggested that he had sent a “draft contract” to the former world champion.
Queensbury promoter George Warren confirmed that Fury’s team had made a “formal offer”. However, Eddie Hearn outlined Joshua’s plan to fight again this summer before a mooted showdown with Deontay Wilder and shared his doubts about reigniting negotiations with Fury.
"I spoke to AJ (about Fury), AJ laughed and said 'isn’t he fighting Jai Opetaia, or Demsey McKean, or Jon Jones?' I said 'no, they’re telling us they want to fight you, but we’re fighting in August or September,' that’s our plan.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has since added that AJ had “chosen not to take the fight” after his son George’s conversations with Hearn.
Hearn stated that Joshua's team have made an offer to Dillian Whyte, with 'AJ' also targeting a fight with Deonty Wilder in December for a huge event in Saudi Arabia, which could also include a fight between Fury and Usyk.
Oleksandr Usyk
An undisputed bout for all four belts looked to be well and truly on the cards when talks initially began between the two camps. However, after plenty of back and forth, negotiations for an April fight broke down in March as Fury criticised Usyk for wanting a rematch clause, despite the Ukranian’s team reportedly agreeing to a 70-30 split in Fury’s favour.
There have been suggestions that the pair could meet in an end-of-year extravaganza, with Usyk signing with Saudi Arabian promotion company Skills Challenge Entertainment . Meanwhile, the Ukrainian has been ordered to fight mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
Discussing the lieklihood of a fight with Fury, Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk told iFL TV this month: "According to my knowledge (Fury’s team) will receive a formal written offer very soon and it will be Tyson's decision whether to take it or leave it. We've done everything possible to make this fight happen and the ball is on Tyson's side.
"It's an offer to take it or leave it. If you take it then you have the biggest fight of your career. If you hesitate or try to trade out something or try to swing around, it shows that you're not serious. And you have to relinquish the belt and retire, not for one month or one week, as you used to retire recently, but probably forever."
Demsey McKean
The undefeated Australian emerged as a surprise contender to fight Fury during the ‘Gypsy King’s’ trip down under in May.
Fury travelled to support training partner Joseph Parker but hinted that he was “keen” to fight in Australia and planned to scout out potential venues. McKean’s manager Angelo Di Carlo stated that the southpaw’s camp had been contacted about a potential fight in August.
“Chats began some time ago for Demsey to fight Tyson Fury in Australia and I think Demsey is the best option for the Gypsy King,” Di Carlo said. “We're certainly keen to do the fight. We've had a good association with (McKean’s promoter) Matchroom and we have great respect for Eddie Hearn (Matchroom boss), but I'll have more talks with Fury's camp and see where that takes us.”
IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has also claimed he is in discussions with Fury’s team, while Andy Ruiz Jr. and Zhilei Zhang have also been linked as possible opponents.
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