MORECAMP, ENGLAND – APRIL 10: Tyson Fury smiles during a press conference ahead of the IBF, IBO, … [+]
WBC heavyweight titleholder and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury looks set to fight another ten times in his career. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported Fury’s plan for his next four fights.
According to Coppinger, Fury is willing to have “eight to 10 more fights”.
Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner of that fight will be stripped of the IBF title due to a rematch clause that would violate the governing body’s mandate to face the organization’s No. 1 contender.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 16: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off during the Tyson Fury v … [+]
Fury and Usyk will almost certainly rematch in October back in Riyadh.
Filip Hrgovic and Daniel DuBois are set to fight for this soon-to-be-vacated title on June 1st. Anthony Joshua will likely face the winner of Hrgovic-DuBois in September.
Fury plans to fight Joshua twice in 2025, assuming Joshua beats the Hrgovic-DuBois winner to win the IBF title. If all goes as planned, these fights with Joshua would be perfect for the undisputed title.
If Fury were to navigate the first half of his 10-fight schedule and win every fight, he would not only rake in a huge load of cash but potentially cement himself as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.
Consider this: Fury would be 38-0-1 with at least 24 wins after a stoppage. He would have beaten every major fighter of his era in his division at least twice (Deontay Wilder, Joshua and Usyk) and remained undefeated.
His unblemished record would rival or surpass the resume of any heavyweight champion before him, and his strength in opposition would be undeniable.
That said, achieving this goal will not be easy.
Usyk fights are a challenge because of the WBO, IBF and WBA champion’s speed and counter-punching ability. He is also hungry to prove he is the best heavyweight in the world as he already has two wins over Joshua.
Usyk has also been forced to wait for Fury to fight him. The latter postponed a meeting for a crossover with Francis Ngannou, and the second appointment was postponed due to a cut sustained during the match.
Joshua appeared rejuvenated after his loss to Usyk.
RIGAD, SAUDI ARABIA – MARCH 8: Anthony Joshua knocks down Francis N’Ganou for the 1st time during … [+]
He has destroyed Robert Helenius with a KO, outlasted Jermaine Franklin, outlasted Otto Wallin and flattened Ngannou with a KO of the Year contender to re-establish himself as one of the absolute elite in the division.
Beating Joshua once – let alone twice – will be a major challenge for Fury, who turns 36 in August. By heavyweight standards, Fury is still in the prime of his career, as fighters in the division can typically find success well into their 40s.
However, Fury has already been involved in wars with Wilder, Steve Cunningham Wallin and even Ngannou, who dropped him before losing a controversial decision. Matches with Usyk could also be taxing.
It will be interesting to see if he can maintain proper fitness while putting together elite performances against the best in the division for another year and throughout his 10-game schedule.
