With Usyk and Joshua already in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for their hotly-anticipated rematch this Saturday at King Abdullah Sports City Arena, rumours are swirling that the winner’s next opponent is already set: Tyson Fury.
Yep, the currently-retired WBC Champion Fury may in fact already have an unannounced deal in place for a fight for all the belts, as Usyk defends the WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Anthony Joshua this Saturday, August 20.
The word comes from London heavyweight Derek Chisora, who is managed by Joshua’s company 258 Management and has long been known for his loose lips.
“The Saudis have a two-fight deal with AJ, Usyk and Fury,” Chisora is reported to have said. “This and then the winner fights Fury for undisputed.”
Chisora lost to Fury in 2011 and 2014. Fury has claimed he offered Chisora GBP 2 million for a third fight, but Chisora denies that claim.
At Wednesday’s press conference ahead of the fight, Usyk made reference to that he hopes to come back to the Kingdom for another fight—signalling that perhaps the deal has been made.
Usyk previously came to Jeddah in 2018 for the fight against Murat Gassiev that ended up being moved due to injury.
Anthony Joshua: “I love to compete in Saudi Arabia”
Saudi Arabia seems to be the home for boxing for the foreseeable future, as Joshua states that Saudi Arabia’s passion for boxing is what ignites his competitive spirit.
“It is obvious to me that the country has really embraced the sport and that certainly fills me with energy to want to perform in front of the fans,” said the British boxer.
The 6’6′ fighter first performed in Saudi Arabia in 2019 at Clash of the Dunes in Diriyah where he defeated Andy Ruiz in a rematch by unanimous decision to reclaim the WBO, IBF and WBA Heavyweight titles. He later dropped the titles to this weekends opponent Usyk last year.
Anthony Joshua’s memories of Saudi Arabia
“I know it has grown by over 300%, lots of facilities have opened since 2019 and the women’s championship happened last year. As professional fighters competing on a global scale it is fantastic to see the sport grow and inspire a new generation to it.”
Aside from winning the world titles last time, Anthony Joshua states that he has fond memories of his first experience in Saudi Arabia.
“Everything about the event was spot on. From the purpose-built stadium, the organisation and the hospitality it was all 10 out of 10. It was a phenomenal event for boxing.”
“Last time here I became two-time champion. The sole aim now is to become three-time!” proclaims Joshua.
To achieve that feat, he’ll need to put on the show he states he’s ready to bring as Oleksandr Usyk extended his career unbeaten run to 19 fights by securing a unanimous points victory over Joshua and the 35-year-old Ukrainian is a technical master in the ring.
Reflecting on his defeat to Usyk, Joshua offered praise towards his opponent but emphasizes that there’s going to be a different outcome this time.
“We have to give him credit, I respect him for his craft. I am motivated to get better. The great thing is I have a second chance to beat him. You can put me down, but you can’t keep me down.”
“My team and I are focused on the goal, taking all the learnings from the last fight and on August 20th I will entertain the fans who come out to see a huge night of heavy weight boxing.”
How to get tickets to Joshua
Usyk v. Joshua takes place this weekend on Saturday, August 20th at the King Abdullah Sport City stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and fans who haven’t got their tickets to the big fight can still do so by clicking here.