Tyson Fury only sees more big fights on the horizon.
“The Gypsy King” is scheduled to kick off his 2024 campaign on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when he takes on WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. The bout was rescheduled from Feb. 17 due to Fury suffering a cut in training.
Not only does Fury, currently the WBC heavyweight titleholder, plan to beat Usyk and claim undisputed champion status, he expects to face Usyk again in an immediate rematch. He stated his plans for the two-fight series in an Instagram video in which he also predicted a future bout with fellow British star Anthony Joshua and a rematch with former UFC champion and current PFL fighter Francis Ngannou.
“I keep hearing talk of people saying that I should retire or I’m going to retire soon or whatever,” Fury said in the clip. “I ain’t retiring anywhere. I’ve got two fights with Usyk, for the undisputed, twice. Then I’m going to fight ‘AJ’ at least once, maybe twice if there’s a rematch if he wants one after the first battering I give him.
“And then I’m going to fight Ngannou again and that’s just a start, so there’s five fights for you to whet your appetite with. I ain’t going nowhere. No. Where. Thirty-five year old in the prime of my life and I’m ready to smash…”
Fury and Ngannou fought to a split decision this past October in what was Ngannou’s pro boxing debut. Ngannou authored the most stunning moment of the fight when he knocked Fury down in the third round, but Fury held on to narrowly take the win on the scorecards. The loss did nothing to hinder Ngannou’s momentum as he next fights Joshua on March 8 in Riyadh, with the winner possibly moving on to a matchup with either Fury or Usyk.
When Fury steps into the ring with Usyk, it will mark the 36th pro bout of his career. Fury and Usyk are both undefeated, with Fury at 34-0-1 (24 KOs) and Usyk at 21-0 (14 KOs).
