Oleksandr Usyk says he would be open to a third fight with Anthony Joshua if his proposed undisputed unification clash with Tyson Fury doesn’t come to fruition. The Ukrainian previously stated that he would retire if he was not given the Fury fight next but has now offered an alternative if the deal falls through.
Usyk and Fury are currently in negotiations to make a fight happen in February. Initial reports stated that the contest was being targeted for December 17 in Riyadh, however, Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has since come out to affirm that it is “highly unlikely” to happen in 2022.
Instead, a more realistic date of February 11 or February 18 was provided by the American, who added that the Middle East is the most likely destination. Among the possible locations are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), and the United States (Las Vegas).
But with Fury demanding an eye-watering £500million purse, the bout has the potential of hitting a snag and if that happens Joshua may be given another chance to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
He continued: “I don’t hold a grudge against him. He was upset. I’d be upset if I lost twice. Joshua has potential to grow, he needs to get some people away from him because he has a lot of freeloaders. Joshua is a handsome man, well done.”
Joshua is expected to return to the ring in December against a ‘top 15 opponent’ at either the O2 Arena, London or the AO Arena, Manchester. Otto Wallin and Zhang Zhilei have been mentioned as potential match-ups by promoter Eddie Hearn.