Tyson Fury has declared that he will take on Joe Joyce if he can't make a fight with Oleksandr Usyk happen in the early part of next year.
The world heavyweight champion has always found it difficult to stay active when champion, with coronavirus restrictions and mental health issues scuppering his past plans after winning gold. But he managed to get two title defences in within a six-month period when he had a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder followed by a mandatory defence against Dillian Whyte over the past year.
And the Brit is hoping that he can get a quick turnaround from his fight with Derek Chisora on December 3 and face Usyk for the undisputed title in February. However, if that doesn't happen he has a back-up plan in Joyce, who he believes to be the second best heavyweight in the world.
"I'm back December 3, followed by February," Fury said at the end of an interview with the Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel. "And if he doesn't want any smoke, Usyk, in February, you heard it here first, we're going after Joe Joyce because he, in my opinion, is the No.2 heavyweight in the world behind myself.
"Maybe he's three, because I don't think anyone in the world can take Deontay Wilder's power, only myself. Tell Joe he owes me 50 grand now for that publicity!" Fury has previously intimated that the reason he won't fight Joyce yet, despite his high praise for the Olympic silver medalist, is that he isn't famous enough to help sell a fight.
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Fury has come under fire for facing former pal Chisora in a trilogy bout this December, given that he comfortably won their first two fights. But he has vehemently defended the decision to face his fellow Brit in a massive stadium show, insisting that he feels Chisora beat Usyk in their meeting.
Usyk and Chisora met on Halloween 2020 in front of an empty Wembley Arena, and the Brit gave a good account of himself in a losing effort. However, it was the start of a losing skid that lasted through two fights with Joseph Parker before he finally got a victory again in July against Kubrat Pulev.
"Chisora, I thought, beat Usyk anyway," Fury added. "I thought he could have nicked it by a round or at least a draw, in the worst way if they wanted to rob him they could have given him a draw - I don't think that [he gave Usyk a better fight than Anthony Joshua ], I know it."
