Tyson Fury is potentially one fight away from making history as undisputed heavyweight champion, and he’s as confident as ever that it will happen.
Fury holds the WBC belt following two conclusive victories over long-reigning champ, Deontay Wilder. As that trilogy was going on, Oleksandr Usyk was making his mark on the scene by beating unified champion, Anthony Joshua.
The two champions entered negotiations to stage the four-belt clash earlier this year, but things frustratingly fell apart.
Despite many analysts feeling Fury didn’t fancy it against Usyk following the collapse of those talks, the man himself says it would be a simple night’s work.
He told FOX Sports he would ‘annihilate’ the Ukrainian, whilst also managing to sneak in a dig at domestic rival and former Usyk opponent, Joshua.
“I’d batter him into submission. Quite quickly as well. I don’t think that fight goes six rounds. No way.
“Everyone is overestimating this guy because of how he outboxed a conventional fighter in Anthony Joshua. But Joshua isn’t what he once was. Has slid a long way in my opinion.
And I’m not Joshua. I’m not some big, stiff guy who won’t let his hands go. I’d annihilate Usyk.”
There’s an opportunity to revisit the fight towards the end of the year, with Saudi Arabia keen to throw money at making it happen. Should they succeed, the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis will be crowned.
In the meantime, Usyk is seeing to his mandatory challengers, with a purse bid to face Daniel Dubois scheduled for this week.
Fury hasn’t been ordered to make a defence of his belt, so has resorted to demanding his promoters find him a dance parter on social media.