'We all know he's not retiring' - Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury should face winner of Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk
Tyson Fury announced his retirement following his knockout win over Dillian Whyte in April. Eddie Hearn recently told Boxing Social that he does not believe that Fury will actually retire:
"Look, we all know he's not retiring - he won't vacate the belt - and, I hope he faces the winner of Joshua-Usyk. I think that's a tremendous fight for his career."
Since his announcement, there has been a lot of speculation about the sincerity of the retirement. Despite calls from many within the boxing world for Fury to return to the ring, he has said that he is stepping away from boxing because of the 'politics' that go into making big fights.
The WBC has announced that it will give Fury time to make up his mind before asking him to vacate his Heavyweight Title. Previously, Fury expressed interest in fighting both Joshua and Usyk.
Check out the full interview with Eddie Hearn here:
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk
Tyson Fury attempted to get a fight with Anthony Joshua after his trilogy of bouts with Deontay Wilder. However, the fights could not be negotiated. Likewise, Fury expressed interest in fighting Oleksandr Usyk after Usyk beat Joshua in 2021. Instead, he was ordered to defend his WBC Title against mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte.
Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua are set to fight in a rematch later this year. The winner of the title fight may attempt to unify the heavyweight division by challenging the WBC Title holder for his belt.
Usyk is currently the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Champion. He is also the former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. The Ukrainian moved up from cruiserweight in 2021 and produced an upset victory over Joshua, who had recently reclaimed his world titles from Andy Ruiz, who defeated him in 2019.
Tyson Fury is so-far undefeated in the ring and is the top-ranked fighter in the division. Joshua and Usyk are currently the second and third highest rated boxers at heavyweight. It seems unlikely that Fury would return to the ring for a fight with anyone but the winner of their bout this year.