Will Usyk vs. Fury fight happen? Oleksandr Usyk calls out ‘retired’ Tyson Fury for undisputed heavyweight bout after beating Anthony Joshua

Abraham Smith

Oleksandr Usyk wasted no time in calling out who he hopes to be his next opponent after retaining his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua.

The man Usyk was targeting is of course Tyson Fury, who has claimed to be retired after beating Dillian Whyte in the sixth round in a bout on April 23. That status hasn’t deterred Usyk, however, who claims the “Gypsy King” wants to fight him too:

It remains to be seen whether Tyson Fury will want to come out of retirement to take on the reigning heavyweight champion from Ukraine. The fighter recently vacated his ring heavyweight title, suggesting he is actually calling it a career with a record of 32-0-1 with 23 knockouts.

MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2 result, highlights and 2022 boxing card analysis

Will Usyk and Fury ever fight?

Fury has claimed on several occasions that he has no interest in fighting Usyk, claiming he is a “blow-up” middleweight (Usyk has spent most of his cruiserweight career and has three heavyweight bouts – two of whom came against Joshua).

“(Usyk fight) will never happen because I’m retired but let’s just say I would beat him around the ring,” Fury told talkSPORT in June. “He’s a bloated middleweight.”

“Usyk wasn’t (beaten) but this is a middleweight going from cruiserweight to heavyweight – I don’t care at all.

MORE: Will Tyson Fury fight Oleksandr Usyk? Latest info on potential heavyweight fight as Ukrainian prepares to face Anthony Joshua

Is Tyson Fury coming out of retirement?

Back in June – and most notably before Usyk beat Joshua a second time – Fury said he could be persuaded to take on Joshua given the right financial circumstances.

“I’ll tell you the truth: if you want me to come out of retirement, it’ll cost half a billion,” he said. “AJ’s bladder burst, he was hit twice. He is no longer a virgin; he was beaten from arrow to arrow by a fat man in three weeks and by a middleweight.

“If it’s half a (billion) then I’m not going to say no, am I? What you have to do is get half a (billion) and then the ‘Gypsy King’ will come out and solve all (Joshua’s) problems for him.

“Because if AJ is beaten by Usyk again there is only one man who will redeem this great fighting nation of the UK and his name is Tyson Fury. I can solve all the problems, the embarrassment, all the things that are going to happen.”

Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) naturally defeated Joshua in the rematch, winning a split decision victory over the former unified heavyweight champion and beating him in total hits (170-128); shocks (39-23); and power strokes (131-101).

Tyson Fury reacts to Usyk-Joshua 2 on Instagram and Twitter

It wasn’t long before Fury chimed in as he took to Instagram Stories and Twitter to hint at a possible return to the ring.

Fury’s message? That he would handle both Joshua and Usyk with ease and pull out the checkbook because the “gypsy king is here to stay forever.”

(Warning: strong language used):

It’s now up to Usyk, Fury and their teams to see if they ever step inside the ring.

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