Tyson Fury has pleaded with Anthony Joshua to forego his mandatory title defence against Oleksandr Usyk, as he fears the reigning champion could suffer defeat and jeopardise any chance of their super fight.
Joshua is due to take on mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev on December 12, with promoter Eddie Hearn insisting that the bout will not be postponed again.
AJ also has a mandatory challenger in the WBO division in the form of Usyk, and Hearn has admitted it is unlikely the 33-year-old Ukrainian will step aside.
“I said to Deontay Wilder years ago, “do not take my retirement fund, do not fight Joshua, He’s mine. He’s my countryman, I’m having him, I’m breaking him in!”
“But it didn’t happen. He got broke in by an unlikely suspect [Andy Ruiz]. It was what it was. Why would he fight Usyk and get 10 percent of what he can make off the Gypsy King?”
‘Vacate it, let them boys fight for the vacant [WBO] belt, whoever it is, Usyk and [Joseph] Parker. We’re at the top of the game. We’re in this boxing to fight the biggest fights out there.”
