Oleksandr Usyk is already planning for a fight against Tyson Fury, and wants to face the Gypsy King after his rematch with Anthony Joshua, Manchester Evening News reported on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian looks set to take on Joshua once again next year, having dismantled the former champion last month to take the IBF, WBA and WBO belts.
Having had a rematch officially triggered, the pair look set to face each other again around March, ruling out a potential unification bout between Usyk and Fury in the immediate future.
The Gypsy King instead looks set to face Dillian Whyte after successfully defending his WBC crown against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas.
A meeting with Usyk might not be too far away though, with the Ukrainian’s promoter telling Sky Sports that Fury will be his fighter’s next opponent after Joshua.
“It will be after Usyk defeats AJ in the rematch,” Alexander Krassyuk said.
Asked if Usyk was impressed by Fury’s performance against Wilder, Krassyuk added: “He was. And he was impressed with how the boxers fought without showing boxing skills. They were trying to (badly) hurt each other.”
All options could be open for Fury as he makes his next step following his Wilder trilogy, although a title defence against Whyte looks to be his most likely next step.
Promoter Frank Warren though hasn’t ruled out another all-British bout with Joshua next year, regardless of the former champion’s result in his rematch with Usyk.
A fight against the winner of that encounter would look to be the next logical step for Fury though, assuming he chooses to continue in his career, with some questioning whether he may choose to retire following his win over Wilder.
