Heading into Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2, what is Tyson Fury’s status as WBC heavyweight champion?

Abraham Smith

Tyson Fury has had a very productive couple of weeks. The line-up world heavyweight champion, who retired after beating Dillian Whyte a few months ago, announced his intention to return to the ring. Just before Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2 on August 20, he quickly backtracked.

Retiring for the second time this year, Fury let go of a belt. Fury won The Ring’s heavyweight title when he defeated Deontay Wilder in February 2020. Following his announcement, The Ring announced that he had relinquished that title. The winner of Usyk vs. Joshua 2 becomes the new bearer of The Ring belt.

“The Ring Magazine Championship has always been the holy grail of boxing. They’ve been amazing to me and I’ve always worn that title with pride,” Fury told The Ring.

“The greatest moment of my career was winning the World Championship (by overtaking Wladimir Klitschko) in 2015. After that comes the great comeback with the threes [Deontay] Wilder fights. There have been many great highlights in my career – even the fight with Dillian Whyte in front of 94,000 at Wembley. It doesn’t get much bigger. And I walked out with a bang.”

MORE: Join DAZN to watch Usyk vs Joshua 2

A title is done. But what about the WBC heavyweight title? Fury also won that belt from Wilder and has since defended it twice. While retired, Fury still holds on to the one belt needed to complete a unified heavyweight title fight.

Is Tyson Fury the WBC Heavyweight Champion?

Fury’s original intention was to retain the WBC title for 12 months after his last defense of the belt. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman is ready to give Fury some time.

He told Izquierdazo Boxeo that Sulaiman and the WBC will support him if Fury repeats his retirement in the next few weeks. There were no talks about an intertitle. Fury will visit Mexico soon and Sulaiman will try to get an answer.

In a statement, the WBC said they are in constant communication with Team Fury. The organization has decided to wait after Usyk vs Joshua 2 fight so Fury can decide what to do.

“The WBC has set Friday, August 26th as the last day to receive official written confirmation from them. Until then, no further comments will be made by our organization.”

MORE: ‘Show me the money’: Retired Tyson Fury reveals price of potential boxing return

Who is next in line for the WBC heavyweight title?

If Fury stays retired, a fight in a month could decide a new champion.

Joe Joyce vs. Joseph Parker will take place on September 24th. There were rumors that this fight was about the interim belt. According to the WBC rankings, Joe Joyce is second, but also the WBO’s mandatory contender. The Sun reported that Joyce’s team is stepping up his fight against Parker to win the WBC heavyweight title. He already told Metro before the Fury Whyte fight that he wants to face the winner.

Joyce has held the British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver, WBO International and European heavyweight titles. Parker won the WBO title against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2016. He is currently on a six-fight win streak and recently beat Derek Chisora ​​in two bouts for the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title.

There’s also Deontay Wilder, ranked number one in the WBC. The former champion has been sidelined since losing to Fury in their trilogy fight in October 2021. He hasn’t set a return date at the moment but there are rumors he will face Robert Helenius.

Will Tyson Fury fight Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua?

Usyk and Joshua face off again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Joshua has a chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion while Usyk can prove to the doubters that he belongs in the division.

MORE: Will Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua?

At one point, Joshua and Fury agreed in principle to fight each other. That was before Wilder exercised his rematch clause for a Fury trilogy fight. If Joshua wins, a years-long struggle could be back in play. It’s unknown what Fury’s status would be if Usyk hit Joshua a second time.

When is Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2?

  • Date: 08/20
  • Main Card: 12 p.m. ET | 17:00 CET | 2 p.m. AEST
  • Main Event: 5:15 p.m. ET | 10:15 p.m. CET | 7:15 a.m. AEST (approximately)

Usyk vs. Joshua 2 will take place on August 20th. The main card begins at 12 p.m. ET | 17:00 CET | 2 p.m. AEST. Usyk and Joshua were supposed to be around 5:15 p.m. ET | leave for the ring 10:15 p.m. CET | 7am AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.

How to watch Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2

  • USA, Canada, Australia: DAZN
  • UNITED KINGDOM: Sky Sports box office

The fight will be streamed on DAZN in most countries around the world, including the US, Canada and Australia.

However, Sky Sports Box Office won the rights to fight in Joshua’s home territory (UK).

Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 PPV price: how much is the card?

  • DAZN monthly subscription: $19.99 in US, $20 in Canada, $13.99 AUD
  • DAZN annual subscription: $99.99 in US, $150 in Canada

Fight fans in the UK will have to shell out £26.95, a £2 increase on the price set by Sky Sports for AJ and Usyk’s first encounter.

MORE: Join DAZN to watch Usyk vs Joshua 2

In the United States, Canada and Australia and most territories worldwide, the fight will be broadcast on DAZN but not on PPV.

Sky Sports box office: £26.95 in the UK

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2 fight card

  • Oleksandr Usyk (c) vs. Anthony Joshua for the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles
  • Filip Hrgovic vs. Zhilei Zhang; IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator
  • Callum Sith vs. Mathieu Bauderlique; WBC light heavyweight title eliminator
  • Badou Jack vs. Richard Rivera
  • Tyrone Spong vs. Andrew Tabiti
  • Ramla Ali vs Crystal Garcia Nova
  • Daniel Lapin versus Jozef Jurko
  • Ziyad Almaayouf vs Jose Alatorre
  • Money kicks against Kyle Paevie
  • Ben Whittaker vs. Peter Nosic

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