Tyson Fury is a two-time undefeated heavyweight champion currently in his second stint. At 35-years-old, and despite recently saying he would fight for ten more years, many eyes are looking down the rankings to see who’s up next.
As Fury moves towards the ultimate heavyweight goal – an undisputed fight against Oleksandr Usyk – the belts are likely to fragment in the time following and allow some contenders to capture them.
Whilst ‘The Gypsy King’s generation are largely still at the top, some younger names are creeping in.
On the broadcast of a Gala Dinner before his bout with Francis Ngannou, Fury interrupted an in interview with 23-year-old Jared Anderson to sing his praises.
“Jared’s the man. This is the future champ right here. I said it three years ago, I stand by my words, this is the heir to the throne guys – you better believe it.”
‘Big Baby’ – a former sparring partner of Fury’s – is 16-0 with 15 knockouts, and has fought three times this year, including his toughest test in the form of former world champion southpaw Charles Martin.
That bout in July was the sole time Anderson has been taken the distance, and he showed good powers of recovery against the heavy-handed and in-form Martin.
It was followed by a fifth round stoppage of Andrii Rudenko in August, and the athletic 240lbs star is set to announce his next move soon. Backed by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, the Ohio native is being well-looked after and built at a steady pace.
He represents an intriguing crop of heavyweights coming up who will assume the current roles of the likes of Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in years to come.