While the return of Tyson Fury remains up in the air, there nonetheless appears to be one fight in particular that he would take in a heartbeat.
The 37-year-old called time on his storied career at the beginning of this year, not long after suffering a second points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
It was a unanimous verdict, in fact, that saw the masterful Ukrainian retain his undisputed status, firmly cementing him as the top dog in the land of the giants.
Yet despite that, Fury has since insisted that he should have emerged victorious, just like he claimed to have won their first heavyweight encounter in May 2024.
Back then, ‘The Gypsy King’ got off to a strong start, before suffering a ninth-round standing eight count and eventually losing a split decision to his accomplished rival.
Usyk, having successfully defended his belts against Daniel Dubois last July, has since maintained his position as the bona fide heavyweight king while also vacating his WBO world title last week.
As a result, leading contender Fabio Wardley was promptly upgraded from interim to full WBO champion, causing everyone to wonder what Usyk is likely to do next.
There is seemingly a plan, meanwhile, for Fury to finally face Anthony Joshua in 2026, with Turki Alalshikh having expressed his interest in delivering their all-British showdown.
Joshua will first face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on December 19, before entering a mooted fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this coming February.
But while Fury-Joshua seems the obvious matchup, Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren has told Seconds Out that, if, indeed, Fury is to mount a comeback, then a trilogy clash with Usyk is likely to take priority.
“[Usyk is] the fella that everybody’s got to beat – he’s the best of his generation. I know that Tyson wants to fight him; he’s told me that time and time and time again.
The fight I’d like to see, because I think he deserves it, is Tyson [against Usyk]. But let’s see what happens with Moses [Itauma], let’s see what happens with Fabio [Wardley].
He’s a superb fighter, [Usyk], but somebody will have the keys to that door.”
