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Tyson Fury’s on-and-off relationship with boxing appears to be very much on again as the WBC heavyweight champion has challenged Oleksandr Usyk to a fight.
“7-foot behemoth that will absolutely destroy you,” Fury said on social media Friday. “Usyk, middleweight, you say you want the WBC, well it’s held by the Gypsy King, and it’s held tightly and grasped tight. All roads lead to a 7-foot behemoth that will absolutely destroy you, middleweight. You will get smashed to bits. You said you wanted to fight me after you bit the bodybuilder [Anthony Joshua] but now you’re running, hiding, saying you’ve got injuries. You’ve let your mouth go, now let’s see if you can back it up, middleweight. It doesn’t matter if it’s December, April, or August next year. The outcome will be the same, I will obliterate you.”
Fury (32-0-0, 23 KOs) made his comments after Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) stated during a press conference on Friday that he’d like to fight the British boxer next year once his injuries have healed.
A bout between Fury and Usyk appears to be more likely with each passing day – just as Fury distances himself from talks of retirement.
ESPN reported that the mega fight is being targeted for February in the middle east.
Fury last fought in April and knocked out mandatory WBC title challenger Dillian Whyte in the sixth round. The 33-year-old has maintained ever since that the bout was his last as a professional boxer.
Usyk, meanwhile, scored his second decision victory against Anthony Joshua in August to defend his WBO, WBA, IBF, and IBO titles.
In the midst of the Joshua matchup, Usyk also picked up the Ring Magazine title that Fury relinquished during his retirement phase over the summer.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.