Turki Alalshikh has hinted that the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk could face Anthony Joshua next, sidestepping the rematch.
Fury and Usyk square off on May 18 for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Both boxers are undefeated, knowing a victory makes them the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. There is a rematch clause in place, which has complicated matters.
The winner is required to defend his belt against the IBF Interim Heavyweight Champion, either Filip Hrgovic or Daniel Dubois, who will face off on June 1. The IBF could strip the winner of Fury-Usyk if they take the rematch or allow the rematch to happen, delaying the mandatory. An alternative is that the winner of Fury-Usyk faces Joshua next. That is what Turki Alalshikh has hinted could happen as he posed alongside Joshua.
Joshua’s Next Step
Nevertheless, that would only make sense if Fury beats Usyk. Boxing fans have already seen Usyk outbox Joshua on two occasions, showing the gulf in class between them. Fury vs Joshua has always been the bigger fight, as the British domestic clash has been discussed for some time. Making the fight undisputed will also draw in more numbers, allowing boxing fans to see it happen in Saudi Arabia and at Wembley. Turki Alalshikh has hinted that Fury could box up to ten more times, with Joshua being mentioned as one of those names.
“We want Tyson for five, seven, or ten fights more. You are the most beautiful diamond boxing fighter. You know what I have in my heart. I see you as one of the best fighters in the generation, and I’m thinking we will have a big relationship in the boxing field,” Turki Alalshikh said
“It’s absolutely unbelievable. I’m definitely on course to be the first boxing billionaire. I’m on course for it, I’m looking forward to it, and I’m delighted by all the good news that keeps coming my way. [And] I’m not cheap. I’m probably the highest paid. If you want something good, you’ve got to pay for it, don’t you? “I’ll beat Oleksandr Usyk. If I can’t beat Oleksandr Usyk, just say I’m not good,” Fury stated
Joshua vs Usyk
Uysk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has also rejected the possibility of a Joshua rematch with Usyk. Krassyuk made it clear that the one-sided nature of the bouts meant there was not a lot of interest to see it happen again. While that may have been the case, Joshua’s trainer, Ben Davidson, is confident of getting a win over Usyk. However, Krassyuk questioned whether Joshua had the belief he could win, even going so far as to state the Brit did not want the fight.
“I am not sure AJ wants the third one deep in his heart. It seems to be dangerous. It might look like a gambling addiction to many. After you’ve lost money on roulette, you come back full of confidence. You bet twice or three times more than you’ve lost, expecting your bet to win. But in the end, you realize that you have lost everything.
“One more thing that makes their third fight less probable is the sequence of the mandatories. As we all know, the next stop of the carousel is IBF, not the WBC. No matter who wins, the rematch goes next as we will enforce it. And even if the IBF let it [the mandatory] go, after the second fight – the IBF is next in line, not the WBC,” Krassyuk revealed
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