Tyson Fury insists his next title fight will be against who’s ‘available’ and NOT who he wants to face as he admits ‘it doesn’t make sense’ – with Dillian Whyte next in line for a shot at his WBC heavyweight title
- Tyson Fury has admitted who he wants to face next ‘doesn’t make sense’
- The Gypsy King is a wanted man after winning his trilogy classic with Wilder
- Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum suggested a fight with Usyk would be ideal
- However, Dillian Whyte has emerged as the leading contender to take on Fury
- WBC have refused to name Whyte as the No 1 contender due to their legal battle
Tyson Fury has admitted that his next choice of opponent ‘doesn’t make sense’ as he must pick who’s ‘available’ for his next heavyweight title fight.
The Gypsy King is a wanted man following his stunning trilogy victory over Deontay Wilder with questions being asked who is next in line to face him.
Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has suggested that Fury would like to face Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed world heavyweight title fight. However, with the Ukrainian set to defend his WBA, IBF and WBO titles in his rematch with Anthony Joshua, that fight looks to be some way off from happening just yet.
Tyson Fury admits who he wants to face next in his next title fight ‘doesn’t make sense’
It means Dillian Whyte would be the man next in line to have a shot at Fury’s belt but the Body Snatcher’s ongoing legal dispute with the WBC has left that bout up in the air for the time being.
But when it comes to who to face next, Fury insists he’s relaxed and not bothered given it wouldn’t be who he wants to face at the moment.
‘I’m just chilling, enjoying life, taking one day at a time, and enjoying myself,’ Fury told Sky Sports as he attended BOXXER Fight Night in Wembley.
‘I’m not really interested, because to be honest it doesn’t really make much sense who I want to fight at this moment. It’s who’s available and what makes sense later on.’
Whyte insists Fury should have ‘no choice’ in the matter, given how he is the mandatory challenger for his WBC belt.
Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has suggested that Fury would like to face Oleksandr Usyk next
He told Sky Sports last week: ‘He [Fury] will try to fight Usyk, because Usyk is a much easier fight for him.
‘Fury has been mandated to fight me twice. He asked for the WBC “Diamond” belt to fight me, but ran away when they agreed. He just keeps making excuses.
‘Hopefully now he’s got no choice. What’s he going to do? Throw the belt in the bin and run away from more money than he got to fight (Deontay) Wilder? He said he was going to fight me after he beat Wilder, then he ran away. Let’s see what he does.’
Whyte and his promoter Eddie Hearn were confident the WBC would confirm the Body Snatcher as Fury’s mandatory opponent last Tuesday at the annual meeting between the presidents of the IBF, WBA and WBO, with the WBC deciding not to order a mandatory heavyweight title fight for their belt due Whyte’s legal proceedings with the board.
Hearn is confident that Whyte will win his legal battle against the WBC, but worries Fury’s financial demands could disrupt their plans for a fight.
Dillian Whyte is next in line to face Fury but a legal battle with WBC has delayed those plans
The WBC refused to name Whyte as Fury’s mandatory challenger at their convention last week
When asked if the purse split would prevent the fight between Fury and Whyte from happening, Hearn told iFL TV: ‘Possibly. That’s almost secondary to the fight being ordered.
‘The interim champion can receive up to 45 percent of a purse split and I believe it should be towards those kinds of levels.
‘I saw Top Rank talk about 20 per cent [at the WBC convention]. That’s outrageous, but that’s something to be left to them.
‘The problem is time. We need to move forward, and it is closing in, and I’m confident that it’ll be a ruling that is fair to Dillian Whyte.’