Tyson Fury is not one to shy away from a challenge.

‘The Gypsy King’ has fought some of the greatest fighters of his generation such as long-reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko and undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.

He also famously shared a brutal trilogy with one of the most destructive punchers in the history of the sport in Deontay Wilder.

READ: Oleksandr Usyk would demand special rule in order to fight Jake Paul

But there is one boxer he admits he will never face – his long-time training partner and close friend Joseph Parker.

Asked last year if he would ever entertain a fight with Parker, Fury, who was the WBC heavyweight champion at the time, replied: “Definitely not.

“No. I’d rather give him the belt than fight him for it.

“We’re too close for that fight and there’s plenty of heavyweights out there.

“He doesn’t need to fight me, I don’t want to get beat up, sorry!”

Fury may be forced to make the tough decision if he defeats Usyk when they rematch for the WBA ‘super’, WBO and WBC titles on December 21.

Parker picked up the WBO ‘interim’ title by beating Zhilei Zhang in his last outing in March and would be next in line in the sanctioning body rotation system to face the winner.

The expectation is that whoever emerges victorious from Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua’s all-British showdown for the IBF strap on September 21 will be next in line for a shot at Usyk or Fury.

However, the WBO could throw a spanner in the works by mandating Parker to box the unified heavyweight champion.

Of course, a step-aside fee can be agreed to allow the original plan to go ahead and Parker would likely take this to avoid causing his close friend a headache should he end up in possession of three of the four major sanctioning body belts at the back end of the year.

Although Parker’s stance on fighting Fury is slightly different.

“If it ever came down to it and Tyson was No. 1 and I was No. 2, and there was no one else to fight, and it could help me and my family and secure us for the rest of our lives, I think Tyson and I could do something together,” he said earlier this year.

“But I have the utmost respect for the guy and what he has done for my career, and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be where I am today.

“But if it has to come down to it I think we can put everything aside and do it before we sit down after the fight and say, ‘Hey man, you caught me with that good shot,’ and that sort of thing if you know what I mean.”

Oleksandr Usyk savaged reigning IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois when comparing him to Anthony Joshua.

The 37-year-old made history in May after becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, following a monumental journey that saw him overcome five British fighters in six years. ‘

The Cat’ first secured the unified heavyweight title by defeating Joshua, making a mockery of claims that Usyk’s size would be detrimental to his success after moving up from cruiserweight. He then defended his titles against ‘AJ’ in a rematch, before winning a controversial bout against Dubois. Following a cagey opening to the fight, Dubois appeared to drop Usyk in the fifth round, but faced cries of a low blow coming from Ukrainian and his corner.

READ: “That Would Have Decapitated a Normal Man”: Eddie Hearn Sets the Record Straight on Anthony Joshua’s Chin

Siding with the Ukrainian, referee Luis Pabon ruled the body shot to be low and allowed Usyk time to recover. Had it been deemed to be a legal punch, it is highly unlikely that Usyk would have been able to recover sufficiently to beat the official’s count.

After being allowed to recover, Usyk then went on to ensure his retention of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts via a ninth-round knockout. Complaints from Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, were not successful in securing a rematch and Usyk moved past the Londoner after the scare.

In his next fight, Usyk would battle past Tyson Fury to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. However, just five weeks after that monumental victory, Usyk would be forced to vacate his IBF heavyweight title. Within hours, interim champion Dubois was upgraded to full IBF world champion – an ironic twist given his history with Usyk.

The 26-year-old will now face Joshua in his first title defence, with Wembley Stadium playing host to the clash on the 21st of September. In the build-up to that fight, an unflattering comparison that Usyk made between Dubois and Joshua during an interview with Boxing News has emerged. He was pretty brutal in his assessment.

Although Usyk has two wins over Joshua, both game via decision, whereas he was able to halt Dubois inside the scheduled distance. Whether or not the harsh words stemmed from his anger on the controversy with the match against Dubois, ‘Dynamite’ has certainly proved that he belongs at world level and an exciting bout looks to be in store when he clashes with Joshua in September.