Will Fury Ever Fight AJ or Usyk? Why Big Fights Do Not Happen?

Following Tyson Fury’s big, yet perhaps unsurprising recent reveal that he will return to the ring after only announcing his retirement from boxing earlier this year, it poses the question of whether his fight against Derek Chisora in December is, perhaps, somewhat underwhelming.

It will be the duo’s third in a trilogy of fights, with Fury winning comfortably against his English counterpart in 2011 and 2014, while there have already been calls for the 34-year-old to take on Oleksandr Oleksandrovych – the Ukranian already calling him out.

Fury was due to fight fellow Brit Anthony Joshua in December; however, talks between both camps have since broken down.

When it comes to boxing, what some people do not realise is the amount of politics in the sport that can often mean negotiations for prospective fights break down. Staggeringly, neither boxer has met in the ring throughout their careers – Fury’s break from boxing a few years ago perhaps having an effect on this.

It is one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts in the sport, though Joshua’s recent drop in form has led many to call for Fury to fight fearsome Ukrainian Usyk, who has defeated ‘AJ’ twice.

What Caused Negotiations To Break Down For Fury vs Joshua?

After it was revealed that the fight will not happen, Fury was quick to respond, claiming the blame did not lie with him and that Joshua was late in signing the contract prior to the fight’s deadline.

He also stated:

“He doesn’t have any belts. He doesn’t have anything that I need, and there will not be a fight between me and him ever. Full stop.

“There’s too much messing. I’m not going over it again. They’re too hard to deal with.”

Fury added:

“The fight didn’t happen. The reason I believe is they never wanted it to happen, and they never had any intention of it happening,”

Certainly, an eye-opening statement, though we are used to Fury not ‘beating about the bush’ – this, though, suggests that the reason for the fight’s cancellation had nothing to do with politics.

Despite this, it could be that Joshua was unhappy with the terms of the proposed contract, while a social media update in September stated that it was in the hands of his legal team.

Could Fury Now Fight Usyk After Chisora?

With much expectation that the result of this fight is going to be academic – and certainly a substantial payday for Chisora, there are murmurings that this could be a prelude to a bout between Fury and Usyk.

It is this that would be the most eagerly anticipated to date, though the expectation would be for a late Spring or Summer encounter between the two if negotiations go according to plan. While Usyk would definitely be keen on this, it would remain to be seen how much Fury feels he has left in the tank and, of course, how his fight against Chisora goes.

Many would expect Fury to make light work of Chisora; however, should he struggle, questions might be raised about his future. Coming out of the fight in top form after breezing to a victory could give him the impetus to chase a fight with Usyk.

The Ukrainian has already sensationally called out Fury to fight him next; however, just to highlight how much influence managers can have, Egis Klimas, who represents Usyk, has claimed that Deontay Wilder could be the perfect opponent for his boxer’s next fight.

Did The Fury Camp Plan This All Along?

Whatever you might think of Fury, he is certainly not stupid and knows how to play the media and get the reaction he wants from his opponents. As such, it could be suggested that he knew exactly what he was doing when he announced his retirement from boxing earlier this year, knowing all along that he would make a return to the ring.

First, it throws any potential opponent off-guard, knowing that they do not have to train to fight Fury while, no doubt, he could have been training relentlessly since he announced his ‘retirement’ so that he enters the ring in a much better shape than any opponent.

If this is the case, and if his opponent as was planned (and no doubt Fury hoped), Joshua, it is likely that Fury would have had a major advantage, especially given Joshua’s defeat to Usyk.

Gamesmanship is completely up Fury’s street, and he is somewhat of a master at it, as he has proven numerous times in the past. Although he may have hoped to fight Joshua, regardless of what caused the negotiations to break down, it appears that Fury now may now face the possibility of two fights over the next 12 months (assuming he doesn’t ‘retire’ again).