Fury: First Usyk, then hard fight with Joyce

“The fight with Joyce will be harder for me than with Usyk,” said Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs). The plan for the WBC heavyweight champion is to fight first next year with Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), and then with Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs).

“I have possibly the most important year of my career ahead of me, when I want to give the fans the biggest fights. Today we can talk about Usyk, because before that I was thinking about the fight with Chisora. I am looking forward to and ready for my next fight with Usyk, be it in the UK or Saudi Arabia. Let's make sure there's only one true heavyweight champion. Usyk is an awkward, slippery left-hander who is difficult to box against, so I am ready to take on this challenge. I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem to have this fight, but if for some reason something gets in our way that I don't believe in, then I will choose to fight Joe Joyce at Wembley. In any case, it will still happen, because when I beat Usyk, I will still want the fight with Joyce to be at Wembley Stadium.

“Honestly, I have no doubt that it will be harder for me with Joyce. He is a big guy who will keep pushing and trying to blow me to pieces. Usyk is a great boxer who wants to move a lot in the ring. I do not detract from his merits, the guy has an excellent career, but I am sure that I will deal with him much easier. And I want to prove it as soon as possible, - said the WBC champion, while acknowledging that, perhaps, this fight may be a little delayed due to injury. — I may need surgery on my right elbow. This would mean a break of six to eight weeks. We'll see when I'm ready for such a fight, but it may have to be postponed a bit."

At the end, Fury left a few kind words for his undefeated compatriot, interim WBO champion.

“Joyce was sued in the Olympic final, he had to return from Rio with Olympic gold. After that, he won every fight he was offered. He beat the best in the world - Bryant Jennings and Daniel Dubois, and then my good friend Joseph Parker. He impressed me with his victories,” Fury said.