So much for Tyson Fury’s big fight.
The WBC heavyweight titleholder won’t be fighting Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua, at least not immediately. Instead, ESPN is reporting that Fury in near a deal to fight longtime contender Derek Chisora on Dec. 3 in London.
Fury and Chisora have already fought twice, with Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) winning by decision in 2011 and knockout in 2014.
The third fight is expected to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000-plus for soccer.
Many assumed Fury, the WBC heavyweight titleholder, would face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship after the Ukrainian outpointed former titleholder Anthony Joshua a second time on Aug. 20.
When that didn’t happen, he and Anthony Joshua entered talks for a long-awaited showdown. However, negotiations broke down late last month.
So now it appears Fury will turn to an old rival – with whom he has been in contact for months – to stay busy in his voluntary title defense.
“The Gypsy King” hasn’t fought since April, when he stopped Dillian Whyte in six rounds. That followed back-to-back knockout victories over Deontay Wilder that underscored Fury’s place at the pinnacle of the division.
Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs) injected life into his faltering career when he outpointed longtime contender Kubrat Pulev in July, which followed consecutive decision losses against Usyk and Joseph Parker (twice).
However, the Londoner is 38 and clearly not the fighter he once was.
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