WBC champion Tyson Fury has his sights set on a fight against former champ Anthony Joshua after his undisputed bout with Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, dismissing talks of retirement.

 

Fury set out an ambitious five-fight plan, including a long-awaited bout against Joshua.

WBC champion Fury’s unification bout with Usyk, who holds the WBO, WBA and IBF belts, had been due to take place in Riyadh later this month.

However, the eagerly anticipated contest was postponed until May 18 in Saudi Arabia after the British fighter suffered a deep cut above his eye in training.

 

According to Saturday PUNCH, Fury’s eagerness for a fight against Joshua, following Usyk, is as compelling as the search for the best betting deals.

Fury expects to have a rematch with Ukraine’s Usyk regardless of the outcome of their first fight, before facing former world heavyweight champion Joshua in one or two bouts and then Francis Ngannou, whom he beat in October.

 

“I keep hearing talk of people saying I should retire or I’m going to retire soon or whatever,” Fury said on his Instagram feed on Thursday, showing stitches on the cut above his eye.

“I ain’t retiring. I’ve got two fights with Usyk for the undisputed, twice. Then I’m going to fight AJ (Joshua) at least once, maybe twice, if there’s a rematch — if he wants one after the first battering I give him.

“Then I’m going to fight Ngannou again. That’s just the start. There’s five fights for you to whet your appetite. I ain’t going nowhere. I’m 35 years old and in the prime of my life.”

 

Fury has won 34 fights with one draw since turning professional in 2008.

His most recent fight was a controversial victory over former UFC mixed martial arts champion Ngannou, who made his professional boxing debut. Fury was knocked down by the Cameroonian but won through split decision.

 

Two-time former world champion Joshua is set for a non-title fight with Ngannou, also in Saudi Arabia, March 8.

 

Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou’s MMA coach, Eric Nicksick, has said that the Cameroonian could find more knockout opportunities in his upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua on March 8 than he had against Tyson Fury.

The former UFC heavyweight champion shook up the combat sports world when he scored a knockdown against Fury in their crossover fight October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 

Though he went on to lose the fight, by split decision, he won the support of many fans because as a boxing debutant, he had Fury on the floor.

Ngannou will no longer have as much of a shock factor heading into a fight with Joshua, but his trainer believes they still have more skills to show off in the match against Joshua in Riyadh.

 

“Tyson does such a good job of movement, and angles, and kind of just rolling off the punches and things like that,” Nicksick told MMA Fighting.

“I feel like Anthony is going to be there more often, he’s more of a plot fighter, kind of works well behind his jab, but I feel like we can find him there in the pocket rather than having to chase him down or try to hunt him down.

“So there’s some differences there, but by that style of fight, if he’s going to be there in the pocket; Francis will find you.”

 

In 20 MMA matches, Ngannou scored 17 wins against just three losses, winning 12 by knockout and four by submission. Some of his most impressive wins in the Octagon included knockout wins over Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, and Stipe Miocic.

While he competes in a different combat sport, Joshua, too, is renowned for his finishing ability and has notable knockout wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, and, most recently, Otto Wallin.

 

Since Joshua got into the pro boxing business, one of his main goals has been to unify all of the world heavyweight championship titles and become the undisputed ruler of the division.

The closest he came was when he had collected the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, needing only the WBC to complete the picture, but lost all three belts to Oleksandr Usyk in back-to-back bouts in 2021 and 2022.

 

Joshua ready for huge fight – Hearn

Eddie Hearn has claimed Anthony Joshua is ready to step in if Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk suffers yet another setback.

 

As Anthony Joshua gears up for his next big fight, the anticipation among boxing fans is palpable.

Hearn reveals Joshua is ready to face either man if the saga takes another twist.

 

He said: “We’ll be ready.

“The amazing thing with Anthony is he will be boxing four times in 11 months, which has been brilliant for him.

“It’s so refreshing for his career after so many periods of inactivity through COVID and dealing with big stadium fights and mandatory obligations and people messing around.

“He will need a rest at some point, but if he comes through Ngannou well and that opportunity presented itself, I would think he’d be ready to fight Fury or Usyk.”

 

The Cameroonian-French star has only had one career fight so far – which came against Fury back in October.

The 37-year-old was able to knock his opponent down in round three, stunning the boxing world in the process.

Fury managed to win via split decision, however, to keep his unbeaten boxing record intact.

And Hearn says that, if AJ overcomes Ngannou, he’ll then go up against Filip Hrgovic.

 

“If AJ is triumphant, he will fight Filip Hrgovic for a world title, which is fine,” he stated.

“Then we’ll fight the winner of Fury vs. Usyk.”

 

Joshua isn’t the only fighter who could replace Fury or Usyk if needed.

Deontay Wilder’s stock has fallen after he was easily overcome by Joseph Parker before Christmas.

Yet the Bronze Bomber, despite appearing to be a faded force, insists he’s prepared to step into the ring if there’s the opportunity.