Tony Bellew has named two heavyweights that he would strongly advise Tyson Fury to swerve, at least until ‘The Gypsy King’ has had a tune-up fight.
Having not fought since his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, which he lost via a unanimous decision in December 2024, Fury is unlikely to face an elite dance partner in his first fight back.
The Russian heavyweight comes off a points victory over Dave Allen and would be a considerable underdog against Fury, even with the inactivity. It seems an entirely realistic proposition for Fury, but other names are also being suggested.
In response to a social media post suggesting the likes of Fabio Wardley, Murat Gassiev, Tony Yoka, Martin Bakole, Kabayel, Vianello and Filip Hrgovic as potential options, former world cruiserweight champion Bellew commented his thoughts, suggesting that fights with Wardley and Kabayel would be far too risky at this stage.
“Wardley and Kabayel are not the kind of opponents to come back to after a long layoff! He’s more than capable of dealing with everyone else on that list, regardless of the layoff.”
Wardley and Kabayel are not the kind of opponents to come back to after a long layoff! He’s more than capable of dealing with everyone else on that list regardless of the layoff though imo..
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) January 8, 2026
Kabayel returns to action this weekend to defend his WBC Interim title against Damian Knyba. Wardley is in the process of organising his first WBO defence. Although he has engaged in a back and forth with Fury, that particular fight is much more likely towards the end of the year, if at all.
