Tyson Fury plays down chances of showdown with Anthony Joshua and claims his heavyweight rival’s career is in ‘tatters’ – as he aims for trilogy fight with Oleksandr Usyk following their highly-anticipated rematch

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk made their ‘Grand Arrivals’ in Riyadh on a cool Tuesday night in the desert but there was another name on the mind of the Gypsy King

Tyson Fury has threatened to snub Anthony Joshua for their all-British showdown – by chasing a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

The Gypsy King is facing Usyk in a rematch this weekend looking to regain his seat at the top of the heavyweight table. Fury, 36, is confident he is going to avenge his May defeat to the Ukrainian which will leave them tied at 1-1.

But it is understood that Joshua has skipped a February 22 rematch with Daniel Dubois owing to fitness concerns and the chance to face Fury next – whether he wins, loses or draws this weekend. Fury is trying to distance himself from that by claiming he will go for the decider against Usyk if he wins this Saturday in Riyadh.

“When I win on Saturday night, I think there’s gotta be a trilogy next year for sure,” Fury told Al Arabiya. “Joshua’s in tatters at the moment. He has got to pick up the pieces from his last fight. But the fight with Usyk – one on Saturday and the one afterwards – would be fantastic for me.”

Joshua was stopped inside five rounds by Dubois back in September to leave his career on the brink. But he has been given hope that Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh would push for the Fury fight.

Usyk is the favourite with the bookmakers to beat Fury again after he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 by beating the Gypsy King in May. Fury felt he won the bout with one judge scoring it 114-113 in his favour, but the other judges gave it 115-112 and 114-113 to Usyk.

“He won by one point in a close fight,” said Fury. “Good luck to the guy. And we’re going run it back on Saturday and it’s gonna be victory for me.”

BOXING

Tyson Fury plays down chances of showdown with Anthony Joshua and claims his heavyweight rival’s career is in ‘tatters’

Tyson Fury plays down chances of showdown with Anthony Joshua and claims his heavyweight rival’s career is in ‘tatters’ – as he aims for trilogy fight with Oleksandr Usyk following their highly-anticipated rematch

Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua‘s career has broken into pieces following his spectacular knockout defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois in June.

Fury is preparing to take to the ring with Oleksandr Usyk for their highly-anticipated rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night.

The 36-year-old is looking to avenge the only loss of his career, which Usyk handed to him back in May to become the undisputed king of the heavyweight division.

However, Dubois would go on to become IBF heavyweight champion a month later by knocking out Joshua at a sold-out Wembley Stadium after Usyk gave up the belt.

Many had touted Joshua and Fury to face off during their illustrious careers, but the Gypsy King now has his eye on a third fight with the Kyiv Cat instead.

‘When I win on Saturday, I think there’s got to be a trilogy next year for sure,’ Fury told Al Arabiya.

‘Joshua’s in tatters. He has got to pick up the pieces from his last fight. But fighting Usyk on Saturday, and the one after, would be fantastic for me.

‘It’s not revenge, just me smashing his face in. Not in a million years will I walk away after this. All great dance partners have trilogies. Facts.’

Before a third fight is even on the cards, Fury will have to overcome the undefeated Ukrainian fight under the lights at the Kingdom Arena at the weekend.

The first bout would prove to be a tight affair with Fury controlling many of the early rounds and even showboating.

However, Usyk would come back strong to rock the British fighter in the ninth round and control the match until the final bell.

Ultimately, Fury would lose the fight by split decision with the judges scoring the contest 115–112 for Usyk, 114–113 for Usyk, and 114–113 for Fury.

The Gypsy King has now knocked back any suggestions that he underestimated the three-belt heavyweight champion back in May.

‘No, I didn’t. He got a decision over me and won by one point, good luck to the guy,’ he continued.

BOXING

clear way for Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury trilogy fight with ‘special condition’

WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has confirmed to talkSPORT.com that the major sanctioning body will not stand in the way of a trilogy bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

The WBO are next up in the sanctioning body rotation system to order a mandatory challenger for the winner of the upcoming rematch on December 21 for the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles.

As a result, they could order the victor to face their No.1 contender and then proceed to strip the champion of their version of the world title should he refuse the fight.

The IBF exercised their right to do this in June when they ordered Usyk to face IBF interim champion Daniel Dubois.

Usyk was unable to return the call due to his contracted rematch with Fury and so was forced to relinquish the IBF belt.

Dubois was then elevated from interim to full world champion and went on to defend his red and gold strap by knocking out Anthony Joshua in September.

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has stated his intentions to make a rubber match between Fury and Usyk if ‘The Gypsy King’ manages to level the scores this weekend.

And the WBO’s newly appointed president, Olivieri, is happy to go along with that plan so long as the second fight merits a trilogy.

“Absolutely. Why would I or the committee prevent the trilogy taking place?” Olivieri told .com of a possible third fight between Usyk and Fury.

“And I concur with this philosophy: we try to serve what is in the best interest of boxing as far as our rules allow us to…

“In order to leave the door open for a future rematch, we sanctioned the [first] fight with a specific condition whereby the championship committee would reserve its right to order the mandatory when it deemed appropriate.

BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Delivers Honest Verdict On Conor McGregor’s Power As He Announces Boxing Return

Floyd Mayweather capped off his professional campaign with a win over UFC star Conor McGregor in one of the most lucrative events the sport of boxing has ever seen.

Mayweather and McGregor brought crossover contests to the big stage when they announced they would face off inside the ropes in 2017. The pair reportedly earned into the hundreds of millions for the fight, billed ‘the biggest in combat sports history.’

As for the action, ‘Money’ Mayweather was largely comfortable for ten rounds before scoring the TKO. Though he was stalked by McGregor around the ring, his famed defence held up and his counters took their toll on the MMA man.

McGregor made the contest look close in the early stages with his pressure, but fatigue kicked in as the rounds went on and he was the 27th stoppage victim of Mayweather’s 50-fight career.

At the press conference in the aftermath, Mayweather discussed his rival’s power and was relatively complimentary.

“As far as his punching power – he’s solid. I’ve felt it before, so that’s why I kept coming straight ahead. Obviously, it wasn’t the type of power to say, ‘I can’t come forward.’ Because if it were that type of power, I wouldn’t have come forward.”

One issue many feel with MMA stars crossing over to boxing is that the way in which they throw their shots isn’t as effective with bigger gloves.

McGregor will hope that isn’t the case when he returns to the ring, which will be, according to him, against YouTuber, occasional boxer and WWE star Logan Paul next year.

“The rumours of a bout with [Ilia] Topurio are false. I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. I have agreed. I will then seek my return to the Octagon.”

Paul, who’s younger brother Jake recently fought Mike Tyson, has previously had an exhibition with Mayweather. He has also faced British star KSI (points loss) and former McGregor training partner Dillon Danis (Points win).

BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Speaks After Being Attacked And Harassed By Mob While Shopping In London

Mayweather has issued a statement after a video emanated of him being confronted while on a shopping spree in London, he has denied such claims

The Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather has broken his silence after a video footage emerged of him seeming to be antagonized by an angry mob in London.

Mayweather, 47, was out on a shopping spree in London’s jewellery quarter when he encountered a heated exchange with many people on the street. The skirmish took place amid Mayweather’s public backing for Israel.

The video footage, which was posted on X on Tuesday night, exhibited Mayweather’s security stepping in and shoving him into the back of a blacked-out 4×4 before he was driven away.

With pressures seeming to escalate, Mayweather, dressed in a green jacket, exchanges words with a member of the crowd before he is swiftly escorted out of the shop by his security team and bundled into a waiting car.

Some of his security staff seem to be left behind as the car speeds off down the street.

Mayweather took to his Instagram account and responded to the allegations. He has denied that there was any physical altercation.

‘Let me set the record straight… there’s no truth to the rumours going around,’ Mayweather’s statement began.

‘I wasn’t punched or touched in any way. What you’re seeing is just my security doing their job to keep things under control,” the statement read.

The former world champion was seen in a jewellery store in Hatton Garden with video footage on social media showing a large crowd descend on him and his security team.

At the onset of Israeli-Hamas conflict, Mayweather pledged his allegiance to Israel on social media, asserting he ‘stands with’ the country.

“I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas do not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that are attacking innocent lives!” he wrote on his social media accounts.

“I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes,” he asserted.

Mayweather hanged his gloves from boxing in 2015. He however, returned two years later to clash Conor McGregor to solidify his unvanquished record to 50 victories and no losses, equating the long-standing record of another boxing icon Rocky Marciano.

‘I was in the UK for a quick 48-hour stop to do some shopping, and unfortunately, people let jealousy and negativity fuel false stories. I’m perfectly fine, and there’s really nothing more to it,’ noted Floyd.

BOXING

‘I want someone tougher’ – Jake Paul rejects WBA title fight with former boxing world champion who fought Canelo Alvarez

Jake Paul has no interest in taking on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for a WBA belt.

The major boxing organisation’s president, Gilberto Mendoza, floated around the idea of sanctioning a fight between Paul and the former WBC middleweight champion for one of the WBA’s many trinkets earlier this year.

Chavez Jr even recently declared he had received an offer to square off with Paul following the YouTuber’s controversial professional bout with Mike Tyson in November.

JUST IN: VIDEOS: Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 simulation predicts another 12-round affair with shock winner

However, Paul has put an emphatic end to such talk.

“I want someone tougher [than Chavez] and I want a real belt, not just something that gets put up for entertainment value,” Paul said on Friday.

“It’s great and all, but, honestly, he’s easy work and I want someone tougher to shut people up.”

Chavez Jr, son of first-ballot Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, held the WBC’s version of the 160lb world title from 2011 to 2012 before dropping it to Sergio Martinez.

He fell to a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez five years later and hasn’t looked the same since.

The 38-year-old is now competing in crossover clashes with over-the-hill MMA fighters and lost to former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in 2021.

Paul beat Silva over the distance a year later so a fight with Chavez Jr would likely be seen as a step back.

‘The Problem Child’s’ ultimate goal is to become a world champion but he will need to receive a ranking from a major sanctioning body before that dream can be realised – although Paul doesn’t seem particularly bothered about the idea of having a number next to his name.

“F*** the rankings. It’s just a number. Who cares?” Paul said.

“People just want to classify things and do a numbers chart.

“I’ve never looked at the rankings. I couldn’t care less.

“I know I’m the best in the world and I’m going to be world champion.”

His manager, Nakisa Bidarian, then added: “The rankings are, he’s the No.1 box office draw in boxing.

“He’s ranked No.1 above everybody else. That’s why [Daniel] Dubois is calling him out, that’s why [Artur] Beterbiev is calling him out, that’s why Gervonta Davis is calling him out, that’s why Ryan Garcia is calling him out, that’s why everyone and their mom is calling out Jake Paul.

“Claressa Shields is calling him out. So it’s pretty apparent who the No.1-ranked fighter in the world is across all weight classes.”

Paul’s next fight is expected to take place in early 2025, though it remains unclear who will be standing in the other corner.

“I mean, there’s a long line out there,” Paul said of his next opponent. “They can take a ticket and get in line to see who I want to fight next.

“I don’t say that as s*** talk – I’m the biggest payday in the sport of boxing right now, so everyone wants to fight.

“When you’re the hot girl on the block, you can do what the f*** you want.”

BOXING

VIDEOS: Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 simulation predicts another 12-round affair with shock winner

With Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2, just over a week away, a simulation has sent shockwaves through the boxing community.

While what happens in video games isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of what will occur in real life, the brutality of this Undisputed footage is definitely enough to get fans excited for the rematch.

In their first encounter, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury delivered an incredible bout, with both men having their share of epic moments.

JUST IN: Inside Usyk’;s wild training camp including handstands, sitting under water and Xmas songs

The Ukrainian started beautifully, bamboozling his rival with his tremendous footwork and shot selection. However, after downloading the data, ‘The Gypsy King’ worked his way back into the contest, rocking Usyk with a thunderous uppercut.

But while it looked like Fury was on track to pull off the victory, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion wouldn’t give up, showcasing his remarkable engine, en route to hurting and almost stopping the 6ft9 giant in an eventual decision victory.

With the first match-up delivering in abundance, the boxing community can’t wait for another slice.

And while it’s still over a week until the all-important clash, at least for now, the fans have a simulation to feed their excitement.

Boxing Fight Simulations has posted a video to YouTube, that, like the real first collision, depicts Usyk getting off to a tremendous start, landing flashy combinations.

However, in a testament to his fighting spirit, Fury once again worked his way back into the bout, particularly finding a home for the body shots. But this time, rather than letting it slip, the Brit maintained his momentum, finishing the clash with his hand raised via unanimous decision.

In the current era of heavyweight boxers, Usyk and Fury have undeniably risen to the top.

But with their time at the pinnacle of the sport likely coming to an end, the Englishman has taken a look at the next generation of warriors coming through.

He’s gone as far as claiming there’s one man out there who possesses even more talent than both him and his nemesis.

BOXING

Inside Usyk’s wild training camp including handstands, sitting under water and Xmas songs

Oleksandr Usyk has never been one to follow convention during his iconic career, and it seems his build-up to the rematch with Tyson Fury is no different.

Having outpointed his rival last February, the pair return to Saudi Arabia this weekend as the Ukrainian puts his world titles on the line.

The 37-year-old is one of just three boxers in history to unify divisions in two different weight classes, and remains undefeated on his 22-fight professional record.

JUST IN: Tyson Fury outlines legacy stance ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch – ‘Only doing it for the money!’

His latest training camp has taken place in Gandia, Spain, hidden away from the limelight as he bids to cement his status as the best heavyweight of his generation.

And according to the Daily Mail, Usyk has again adopted some unusual methods in his preparation. His gym reportedly has an ‘Undisputed’ banner on the wall, along with images of the former Olympic gold medalist attacking Fury during their first fight.

But that doesn’t begin to tell the story of a camp that has delved way beyond sparring and pounding punch bags. Usyk is well known for his love of sports outside of boxing, a concept he is again seemingly embracing.

He’s reportedly mixing in-ring training with cardio work and tennis. And having utilised the work of sport scientist Jakub Chycki, Usyk has also been in the swimming pool to aid his preparation.

“We have implemented a lot of new things this camp,” who said??. “This is done by Jakub Chycki. We walk on our hands for 15 minutes to build strength. We run, we swim.

“And we sit underneath the water. We have reached the level where we can sit under water for 10 minutes which really helps with my fitness, stamina and breathing during a fight.”

But Usyk is not ignoring the festive period either. He was also claimed to have sung a few Christmas carols during his appearance, with a Santa Claus hat in place, to prove he has not lost his sense of perspective ahead of what could be the defining night of his career.

BOXING

Tyson Fury outlines legacy stance ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch – ‘Only doing it for the money!’

The Briton faces the Ukrainian again after their earlier bout, and admits the financial gain is a driving factor in his call.

Tyson Fury admits that he wants “the easiest fights for the largest amounts of money” as a prize-fighter, as he prepares for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

The Briton heads back to Saudi Arabia for another bumper payday and the chance to claim revenge against the unified heavyweight champion after a first career loss in May.

READ: What happens if Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk pull out of their rematch as contract clause revealed

Victory would see Fury become a three-time world champion, and almost certainly set the wheels in motion for a trilogy fight that would bring further riches to both men.

Speaking before his return to the Kingdom Arena for Riyadh Season’s Reignited event, the star acknowledges it is the paydays and providing for his family that keeps him fighting.

“The legacy is my kids, isn’t it?” he said. “The one thing I do care about is my family, my kids, looking after them. [This is for] more generational wealth.

“I’m only doing it for the money, obviously. All prize-fighters, if they tell the truth, do it for the money. I don’t want to work for f*** all, I want to earn as much as I can get.

“I want the easiest fights possible for the largest amounts of money. I don’t want the toughest fights possible for the least amount. I wasn’t born on a Christmas cracker.”

Despite his claims, Fury will face arguably the toughest test of his career in a rematch with the only man to hand him a professional defeat so far, by split decision in May.

BOXING

Mike Tyson’s Ex-Trainer Won’t Bet Against Terence Crawford Even Against Canelo Alvarez

Former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez remains one of boxing’s most sought-after opponents, thanks to the lucrative paydays that come with stepping into the ring against him. While many fighters dream of landing a bout with ‘Cinnamon,’ fans have their sights set on just a few murky names—one of them being former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford.

The idea of a potential Canelo-Crawford clash has sparked widespread debate within the boxing community. Many argue that such a fight would be an uphill battle for Crawford, citing the significant size difference and the fact that he would need to climb multiple weight classes just to make the matchup possible. Critics believe this daunting challenge makes Crawford’s chances of beating Canelo slim at best.

However, renowned trainer Teddy Atlas, who once guided former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, holds a different perspective. While speaking about the potential fight on his YouTube channel (THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas) a handful of days ago, the Hall of Fame trainer suggested he would not count out Crawford in a fight against the Mexican superstar.

“[Errol] Spence is a good Olympic fighter, world champion, undefeated, good solid fighter. [Crawford] took him apart,” Atlas said. “Took him apart. Now has he gotten a chance, Crawford, to fight a lot of other guys that would test him in those areas… He hasn’t really gotten a chance to fight too many of them.”

Despite that, Atlas feels Terence Crawford would handle himself against Canelo Alvarez. “But everyone he’s fought, he’s handled,” he added in his YouTube video. “This would be a great challenge for him against a tremendous fighter. I’m not betting against Crawford. That’s the bottom line.” That said, while no official announcement of such a fight has been made, Canelo knows what he wants to make this fight.

Canelo Alvarez sets an astonishing price on Terence Crawford fight

Back in August, Canelo Alvarez set a staggering price for a potential fight with Terence Crawford, stating he would need $150 million to step into the ring with the former undisputed welterweight champion. Speaking after a press event promoting his September 14 bout with Edgar Berlanga, Canelo told reporters he’d fight Crawford “if the money is right.” When asked if $100 million would suffice, the Mexican superstar raised the bar, responding, “$150 million.”

Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, known for bringing mega-fights to life, initially showed interest but has since dismissed the matchup. On social media, Alalshikh announced he’s no longer pursuing the fight, hinting at frustrations with Canelo’s demands. There’s a good possibility that Canelo’s demands are nothing but a negotiation tactic to increase his payday, but until then, Crawford must explore other options to stay active.