Bob Arum has revealed what he wants his charge Tyson Fury to do after his crossover bout with Francis Ngannou on October 28.
Fury’s decision to fight Ngannou was met with a mixed response from boxing fans, the vast majority of whom would rather see ‘The Gypsy King’ take on Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world championship.
However, Arum’s recent interview with BaseDaKid gives some reason for optimism, as he revealed Usyk is what he wants next for Fury, and implored for “no more screwing around.”
“For me, no more screwing around – let’s fight an undisputed fight against Usyk, and see who is the best heavyweight out there.”
Boxing fans could be forgiven for losing hope that a legacy defining four-belt unification between Usyk and Fury will ever take place, given the multiple failed negotiation stages that have already occurred
However, both teams remain confident that it will take place in the first half of 2024, though as things stand it’s likely both men will have a fight in between now and then.
The press conference for Fury vs Ngannou took place earlier this month, whilst Usyk is expected to be ordered to defend his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles against mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic in the coming weeks by the IBF, with ‘El Animal’ reportedly not interested in any potential step a side deal.
At this stage, the boxing world will not believe Fury vs Usyk is happening until the pair are stood opposite each other in the ring, however Arum’s comments are somewhat encouraging.
In fact, the veteran promoter, 91, recently said that it was the one fight he would like to make before retirement.