Tyson Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum hopes to make an undisputed title fight against Oleksandr Usyk in December a possibility if the Ukrainian beats Anthony Joshua.
Fury has insisted he is retired from boxing after defending his WBC heavyweight crown against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium back in April. But there remains a possibility of an undisputed title fight against the winner of Anthony Joshua's rematch against Usyk on August 20.
The 'Gypsy King' has yet to vacate his title and it is expected that he will wait to see who progresses into pole position for the heavyweight mega-fight, before making a concrete decision on his future. Top Rank kingpin Arum is hoping that Usyk is the one to come out on top later this month.
"I will let you know when Joshua's fight with Usyk happens in a few weeks," Arum responded in an interview with Barbershop Conversations when asked about Fury's future. "I'm hoping that Usyk wins because I have talked with his people and I think they would be anxious to fight Tyson Fury. And I am hoping to do that fight in December or early next year.
"I just think Usyk is a better talent than Joshua and he is certainly quicker than him and I would like Usyk in the undisputed fight. But could it go the other way, yes possibly." Usyk will be hoping for another dominant performance to retain the titles he claimed from 'AJ' last December in the UK.
Fury could be looking to force his way back into negotiations with Usyk having been in talks for an undisputed fight with the Ukrainian earlier this year. The 'Gypsy King' was planning to move forward to a fight for all the marbles against Usyk before taking his defence against Whyte, which would have also seen Joshua step-aside from their contracted rematch.
Who would win if the pair fought - Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the c omments section below
Joshua was offered such a deal but talks collapsed between all the parties, before Usyk was forced to return home to Ukraine and join the efforts against Russian invasion anyway. Now Fury's rival will have a chance to beat Usyk and set up the huge domestic showdown with all the belts on the line.
The 33-year-old was set to fight Joshua last year for all of the division's biggest prizes, but the fight was derailed when Fury was ordered to stage a trilogy with Deontay Wilder. Fury would likely prefer to face Joshua in an all-British clash, but he has recently vowed to return to the ring if a sizeable offer is presented.
"He's gonna lose again, then they're gonna call for Achilles to come back," Fury told talkSPORT Fight Night when discussing a possible ring return. "And I'm gonna say, 'Get f***ed, I'm retired.' And then, when they're begging, I will return, but it's gonna be very costly."
