Tyson Fury’s father John has named the heavyweight whom he envisages as eventually taking his son’s place as the number one in the world.
WBC champion Fury is viewed by most as standing atop the blue ribbon division, although an undisputed fight with Oleksadnr Usyk is needed for ‘The Gypsy King’ to rubber stamp that accolade.
Speaking to Spencer Fearon on Stamina For Sale, ‘Big John’ actually named up and coming American heavyweight Jared Anderson as the man he sees as the future king of the division.
“The only one I can think of now, he’ll be champion when Tyson’s gone, is Jared Anderson.
I’ve watched him spar Tyson, I’ve watched him fight – he’s the next big thing on the block.
He’s only a kid, 6′ 4″, sixteen and a half stone, getting better every time, He will [take over the division]. He’s fluent, he’s got a boxing brain, he’s got skill, he’s quick and he’s brave. When you compare him to what we’ve got in the UK there’s a huge difference in class.”
At just 23 years old, Anderson boasts a perfect record of 14 wins and zero losses, as well as the impressive feat of having stopped every man he’s faced in the professional ring.
His next fight, against undefeated Kazakh Zhan Kossobutskiy, has just been announced by promoters Top Rank and is widely expected to be the toughest test of his career to date.
Kossobutsky has stopped all but one of his 19 opponents, and boasts wins over the likes of Frazer Clarke and Mahammadrasul Majidov in the amateur ranks.
As for Fury, confirmation of his next opponent is expected soon, with Andy Ruiz Jr the frontrunner to land a July date with the lineal champion.
Talks are also ongoing for Fury to face Usyk in Saudi Arabia in December, with Skills Challenge Group planning to stage the undisputed clash on the same night as Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, ins hat would be an unprecedented night for the sport.