Tyson Fury could face Anthony Joshua NEXT despite multi-million-pound Usyk rematch clause, says promoter

8 months ago 74

TYSON FURY could sensationally face Anthony Joshua in a Battle of Britain BEFORE rematching Oleksandr Usyk, his promoter has claimed.

Fury and Usyk, 35 and 37 respectively, will throw down for all the heavyweight marbles in a lucrative Saudi showdown on May 18.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will throw down for all the heavyweight marbles on May 18[/caption]

Anthony Joshua is waiting in the wings to face the winner of the Riyadh rumbles[/caption]

Promoter Bob Arum has claimed AJ could face Fury before a rematch with Usyk happens[/caption]

The pair are contractually obliged to have a rematch – which would likely take place at the end of the year – after their Riyadh rumble.

But Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum admits Joshua could slide in and fight Fury should Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh wish to see the bout next.

He told The Daily Mail: “What happens if Fury-Usyk turns out to be a classic?

“A fight that is so exciting and so thrilling that the public wants to see it again.

“Then that would certainly trump a Joshua fight, and contractually, it’s a fight that has to happen.

“Now, what happens if it’s a one-sided fight and Fury wins the fight?

“Then maybe everybody can sit down with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and work out some arrangement go right to Fury-Joshua.

“If Usyk wins the fight, I don’t think there would be that much demand for an Usyk-Joshua fight because after all they fought twice and Usyk beat him twice.

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“So, one fight at a time, that’s my motto.”

Arum’s belief that AJ could finally share the ring with Fury is also held by fellow promoter Eddie Hearn.

In a bizarre question involving darts star Luke Littler, Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn revealed to talkTV‘s Piers Morgan his belief that the biggest fight in the sport will materialise before the end of 2024.

He said: “Because the Darts Championship happens in December and January, I’m gonna say that Fury vs AJ happens this year.

“So I’m gonna say Fury vs AJ [happens first].”

Fury and Joshua inked a lucrative two-fight deal in the summer of 2020 but haven’t come close to fighting one another.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder scuppered their two-fight series by winning his arbitration for a trilogy fight with The Gypsy King.

Joshua, 34, is back in world title contention following a stellar 2023, in which he rattled off three impressive wins on the bounce.

And he picked up his third KO win in a row last month when he brutally stopped former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the second round of their Saudi showdown.