Oleksandr Usyk has admitted he is unsure who will win if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua ever face off – with the British super-fight back in major doubt.
The long-time rivals were expected to fight at some point in 2025 following Fury’s latest defeat to Usyk last month. However, the Gypsy King has since announced his retirement from boxing for a third time, although it remains to be seen whether he is actually done for good this time.
In a post on social media, Fury said: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I’m going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. Get up!”
However, Fury could always come out of retirement for a third time to settle his rivalry with Joshua. The pair were due to fight in 2021, but the deal collapsed when an arbitrator ruled that Fury needed to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time.
Usyk has beaten both Joshua and Fury twice in his career and, having shared the ring for a total of 24 rounds with both fighters, the Ukrainian should be well-placed to make a prediction about the outcome of a fight between the two Brits.
However, Usyk sat on the fence when asked by IFLTV to pick a winner out of Fury and Joshua. “Who wins? I don’t know. I think my friend Greedy Belly [Tyson Fury]. Maybe Joshua.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently claimed a bout between Fury and Joshua was still the “biggest fight” in boxing. He told Betfred: “It’s the biggest fight in the sport still and you get people telling you that it isn’t, but tell me a bigger fight?
“There isn’t one. Timing’s everything and I still believe both fighters are close to the prime of their careers. I know Tyson got beat, but he got beat by Usyk in a close fight. There’s no shame in that and he’s still a great fighter.
“AJ’s still a brilliant heavyweight. So I think it’s a tremendous clash and right now, it’s very difficult to pick a winner in that fight, which is of course enthralling for boxing fans.” And Joshua has said the fight against Fury “has to happen this year”.
Speaking at the Ring Magazine Awards, he said: “Every time I see people they say: ‘When you fighting Fury?’ The Irish community, English community, Nigerian community, everyone is asking me the same question. As a fighter, it’s up to me to deliver. It has to happen this year.”
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