Bob Arum reveals who he believes Tyson Fury's first opponent in 2022 should be
Bob Arum believes Tyson Fury should square off against Dillian Whyte in 2022.
The unbeaten Fury (31-0-1), who holds the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles, last fought Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout in October. Meanwhile, interim champion Whyte (28-2) was seen in action against Alexander Povetkin in March.
Arum, a renowned boxing promoter, told talkSPORT that he believes the WBC's mandatory status puts 'The Villain' at the forefront as the next opponent of 'The Gypsy King'. The other names discussed were Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
"I think Whyte should be the next fight for Fury but there is talk about Usyk, who beat Joshua, but Joshua isn't going to step aside until he's guaranteed the winner of Fury vs. Usyk. And how can anybody assure him of that with Whyte in the mandatory position. The way I think it will fall out is Fury against Whyte, which I believe Top Rank will co-promote with Frank Warren and can be held in the UK."
Watch Bob Arum in conversation with talkSPORT's James Savundra below:
Dillian Whyte had an encounter with Otto Wallin canceled in September after he suffered a shoulder injury.
Tyson Fury wants Anthony Joshua to step aside and let him face Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed title fight
Anthony Joshua looks set to cash in on his rematch clause after his defeat to WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year.
However, Tyson Fury wants his compatriot to let him take on Usyk instead. During a recent conversation with Lowdown Boxing, Fury claimed that if 'AJ' loses to 'The Cat' a second consecutive time, a Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua dream fight would never materialize.
"I'd prefer him [Joshua] to just let me fight [Usyk]. Because if Joshua goes in again and loses, which I think he will, that fight's dead in the water for me. You don't lose two fights and then go into a massive heavyweight title fight. But if he lets me fight Usyk and I batter Usyk, then I'd come back for Joshua, batter him as well. Then, I can just f**k off and they can all fight for the belts. I'd retire."
Watch Tyson Fury in conversation with Lowdown Boxing's Dev Sahni below: