Tyson Fury is on the road to a fight with Anthony Joshua, but it’s likely that he will have to wait for another bout before getting his shot at the undisputed heavyweight title.
Tyson Fury is on the road to a fight that no one can take away from him, but Dillian Whyte bout likely next.
Tyson Fury defended his WBC title with an unforgettable performance.
On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Tyson Fury confirmed his position as the heavyweight champion with a resounding victory.
Despite the fact that few British fans were there to see the devastation at the T-Mobile Arena, Fury v Wilder III will go down in boxing history as one of the best and most exciting fights ever.
“I think I beat any guy in history,” Fury said, and it’s difficult to imagine who could defeat the Gypsy King following another jaw-dropping performance made famous by the WBC champion’s courage and glory.
After completing his trilogy with Wilder, fans are left wondering what Fury will do next.
‘I’m going to celebrate my triumph.’
In the post-fight press conference, Fury, 33, was vague about his intentions, refusing to specify who he wanted to fight next.
“I’m going to revel in my triumph before I start thinking about other guys,” he added. Bob Arum and Frank Warren, his co-promoters, were similarly careful about revealing too much.
For Fury, there are a variety of choices. He has the option of pursuing an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk or waiting to see how Anthony Joshua’s rematch with the WBO, WBA (Super), and IBF title goes.
There’s also the matter of a WBC challenger, with Dillian Whyte of the United Kingdom facing Otto Wallin later this month. If a unification match cannot be arranged, Fury will be ordered by the WBC to face the winner of that fight right immediately.
Fury’s next bout will almost certainly be a mandatory defense.
Fans in the United Kingdom would want to see Whyte take on Fury, but the Bodysnatcher must first beat Wallin, and the Bodysnatcher has already been derailed by defeats, including as last year’s loss to Alexander Povetkin.
‘Wilder has been a wonderful dancing partner, but it’s over,’ says Fury, who is pleased to retain his title.
Fury hasn’t fought on British soil in three years, but his American promoters Top Rank will almost certainly agree to a bout with Whyte in the UK early next year. If Wallin wins, Matchroom president Eddie Hearn revealed that Whyte has a rematch clause, which would complicate things even further.
Before the bout, Warren predicted that Fury’s next fight would be a homecoming.
“I don’t know what [the WBC] are going to do,” he told Sport after the win, “but there’s no hurry because he needs some time off now and whatever he wants to do is what we’ll do.”
The path to uncontested success
Tyson Fury wants to be the undisputed heavyweight champion at the end of his career.
It’s been Joshua’s mantra, but it seems the one certainty is that if there is to be an undisputed bout, Fury will be one side of it.
Joshua has already been approached by Fury’s camp about standing aside, but the British heavyweight has bluntly refused. Joshua has triggered the rematch clause, and as much as fans will want to see Fury fight for all of the titles, it is doubtful that this will be the next step.
Warren stated of Usyk v Joshua II, “Perhaps we can make the winner of that fight.”
“Autumn, maybe next year at this time.” They’re talking about having that battle sometime in March, so they’ll need six months after that.
“In a perfect scenario, Anthony Joshua would decline the rematch so we could go right into it.”
Team Fury may want Joshua to stand away, but if he recovers to become a three-time world champion, the all-British showdown with Fury will resume.
‘Wilder is finished,’ says the narrator.
While Fury has been tight-lipped about his next step, Wilder’s future will be scrutinized. The American will certainly be disappointed to lose despite having floored his fiercest adversary twice in one round – four times in three bouts.
Wilder’s strength showed through again, as it had in the previous bout, but Fury was up to the task.
“I gave it my all, but it wasn’t enough,” Wilder said. “What occurred, I’m not sure. I knew he accomplished some things in training, and I also knew he didn’t come in at 277 pounds to be a ballet dancer. He approached me to lean on me and beat me up, and he was successful.”
After such a lopsided loss 20 months ago, Wilder needed to regain his confidence. That confidence seemed shaky, considering that it was based on strange justifications, and it’s safe to say that swagger has been shattered now that Fury has delivered another knockout.
Until Fury entered the picture, Wilder had a perfect 40-fight record and looked unbeatable.
After the battle, Fury stated in the ring, “I’ve always maintained I’m the greatest in the world and he’s the second best.”
Many would agree with Fury that Wilder shown his adaptability in the third bout. But it remains to be seen whether Wilder, who is known for his confidence, can cope with being second best.
He was the WBC champion for five years, and although it’s doubtful he’ll regain it while Fury is still fighting, Wilder has plenty of bouts to choose from.
The heavyweight landscape can shift in one instant, and Usyk’s win against Joshua shattered the division. It has been a balancing act for Joshua to retain three world championships in his possession, and if he is unable to reclaim them and an undisputed bout cannot be organized, the belts may be dispersed throughout the division.
Wilder, on the other hand, will be 36 in October. In back-to-back bouts, he’s absorbed a lot of damage, including two knockouts. Is it a good decision to retire? Wilder’s legacy is not in shreds, despite Fury’s insults. He came within a whisker of defeating Fury on two occasions. A deadly, one-of-a-kind puncher came up just short against the finest of the period, according to many.
Fury has the last say on Wilder until he talks.
He said to Sport: “It was a fantastic trilogy, and you need a good dancing partner for trilogies, and he’s been one, but there’s no rematch option; it’s over. Wilder has come to an end. Deontay Wilder is no longer with us.”
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