Tyson Fury is still searching for a summer opponent having not fought since last December – and options appear to be running out.
Fury beat his ‘old pal’ Derek Chisora for a third time seven months ago and has not been seen inside the ropes since.
After he convincingly dispatched of ‘Del Boy’, unified champion Oleksandr Usyk climbed onto the ring apron and the pair initiated a fiery face-off. The meeting of the two top heavyweights, which would have crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, seemed like a formality.
But this is boxing and things rarely go to plan, especially in the sport’s blue-ribbon division. After months of talks the deal eventually collapsed when Usyk’s team pulled out claiming they weren’t ever going to get ‘a fair deal.’
Since then, a search for a suitable dance partner for Fury has become problematic.
One man who says a deal to face the WBC champion was ‘very close’ is Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang. Coming off a career best win against Joe Joyce in April, ‘Big Bang’ became the frontrunner to face ‘The Gypsy King.’
However, after speculation that ‘The Juggernaut’ might swerve the rematch, he officially activated his contractual option to run it back immediately with Zhang – seemingly putting an end to any hopes of a Fury fight.
Speaking to Gareth A Davies for Boxing Social’s ‘Fight Club’, the 40-year-old made it clear he would be ready to face ‘The Gypsy Queen’ if the Joyce fight fell through.
“I would like to fight Tyson Fury, The Gypsy Queen. I’m ready for him. I would smash him.”
Zhang is expected to face Joyce again on September 2 at London’s OVO Arena, Wembley, in what is now seen as a must win for the Brit.