John Fury, father of Tyson, has gone against his son by admitting that a fight between Tyson and Anthony Joshua would be a bigger fight than the undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk.
Talks between Fury and Anthony Joshua feel like they have dragged on for years, with no signs of ever finding a conclusion.
This has led both men to move on with their respective careers and look for fights elsewhere. Joshua is set to return to action in spring, whilst Fury looks set for a fight against Usyk, with an announcement seemingly close.
The winner of the fight between the two champions would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and the first of the four-belt era, making it a truly historic fight.
It would also give Usyk the chance to become just the second fighter to have won the undisputed crown at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, alongside the legendary Evander Holyfield.
Despite all the factors of the Usyk fight that add to Fury’s legacy, his father believes that a fight with fellow Brit, Anthony Joshua, would be a far bigger event.
Speaking to iFL TV, he said:
“What I want, it’s not about money now, it’s about pride, it’s about what we do in a place that we live in and love isn’t it. It’s about this country. It’s about cleaning up your washing here isn’t it and everybody wants it, so I think that here and throughout the world, I think it [Fury vs AJ] is a bigger fight.
Who knows the Ukrainian rabbit outside of Ukraine? Nobody knows him in America, nobody knows him nowhere, AJ is known globally.”
This is in agreement with Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who said the Usyk fight for Fury is “nowhere near as big” as an AJ clash.
Tyson on the other hand disagrees with his father, claiming a fight against the Ukrainian is worth “twice as much” than the all-British clash, mainly due to Saudi Arabia’s desire to host the undisputed clash and willing to pay accordingly for it.