Tyson Fury is at the tail end of a two-time heavyweight championship campaign – one that he himself says saw him accomplish everything.
He has been open in the past about needing nothing more on his record before retiring, but now there’s one man he considers unfinished business.
Years ago, it was hard to imagine that a rivalry between Fury and Francis Ngannou would materialise.
Even when the former UFC Heavyweight Champion signed to fight Fury in his professional boxing debut, the vast majority of fans and pundits believed it would be over quickly as a crossover spectacle.
Ngannou made certain that wasn’t the case by scoring a knockdown in the third round and taking Fury the distance, ultimately losing a split-decision but leaving Saudi Arabia a clear moral victor.
Since then he has been calling for a rematch, and it’s something that, according to Fury’s promoter Frank Warren, ‘The Gypsy King’ wants too. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Warren said his fighter had said as much.
“I think there’s a good chance of that happening. I don’t know [if it would be next] – it’s jumping too far forward. Let’s get the big one out the way first, and then we’ll see where we go. I do think it will happen.
Tyson told me that he wants the rematch, and I know Ngannou wants it because after the fight we met at his Excellency’s house and we had a nice conversation. He’s a nice guy with a good team around him and I’m sure we’ll do it again.”
Before any serious talk of a second fight can take place, Fury has a career-defining contest against Oleksandr Usyk.
The Brit will pit his WBC world title against the Ukrainian’s IBF, WBO and WBO to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis over two decades ago. There is a rematch clause for the loser to activate.