After Tyson Fury’s downfall against Anthony Joshua, it now looks like ‘The Gypsy King’ has moved on to taunt Oleksandr Usyk.
After Joshua was beaten by Usyk in their August rematch earlier this year, he was almost immediately called up by Fury, who offered him a shot at the world title and a WBC heavyweight buyout.
Initially, negotiations progressed quickly with Joshua agreeing to Fury’s terms for a 60/40 split and for the fight to take place on December 3.
Problems arose, however, when Joshua’s team took their time reviewing contracts and Fury grew impatient, setting various deadlines.
Eventually, both sides started blaming the other during talks and negotiations fell apart completely, though Fury will still fight on December 3.
The opponent has yet to be announced, but Mahmoud Charr and Derek Chisora appear to be the favorites, with Fury even suggesting he could face two opponents in one night.
If Fury rises to that challenge, he’ll be set for an undisputed matchup with unified WBA, WBO and IBF champion Usyk early next year.
In preparation for the fight, Fury has already started the mind games, posting a video to his Instagram story taunting Usyk.
In the video, Fury can be seen training with a small child, while calling him “Usyk”, in reference to the fact that “The Gypsy King” described his Ukrainian rival as a “bloated middleweight”.
“Come on Usyk, look at Usyk, come on Usyk, little dwarf,” Fury said in the video, as he was chased by a child trying to punch him, before turning to the camera and shouting a battle cry. .
Tyson Fury trains with ‘Oleksandr Usyk’ in the gym today…
[📽️ @Tyson_Fury] pic.twitter.com/7S2tk3pYXc
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 5, 2022
Regarding a fight between Usyk and Fury next year, Ukrainian manager Egis Klimas told talkSPORT: “On our side we are going to be 100% ready, so if the fight doesn’t happen, don’t blame our team.”
That being said, Klimas revealed that if Usyk can’t fight Fury, he wants to fight Deontay Wilder instead, saying, “[Usyk] called and said, “If Fury’s not available and we can’t fight Fury, I’d like to fight Wilder”.
“So I asked him why and he said, ‘Because he’s a risky fighter and I like that’.”
OFFER OF THE DAY
Bet365: Bet €10 and get €50 free bets* – CLAIM HERE
Account opening offer. Bet €10 and get €50 free bets for new customers at bet365. Minimum deposit requirement. Free bets are paid out as betting credits and can be used when settling qualifying bets. Minimum odds, betting and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude wagering bet credits. Deadlines and terms and conditions apply 18+ Begambleaware.org