What should Usyk do next?

[Master]

Tyson Fury's plans to fight Oleksandr Usyk have been thrown into disarray after Filip Hrgovic's team announced that he will challenge the Ukrainian next.

Fury had hoped to finalise an undisputed world heavyweight title fight early in 2023, but the IBF have ordered Usyk to make a mandatory title defence against Hrgovic, according to the Croatian's promoter Kalle Sauerland.

Hrgovic climbed off the canvas to defeat Zhilei Zhang on points in a final IBF title eliminator on the undercard of Usyk's rematch win over Anthony Joshua in August.

Sauerland tweeted: "CONFIRMED: El Animal @Filip_Hrgovic is next for @usykaa for the Heavyweight Championship - by official order of the @IBFUSBAboxing. Let's get the show on the road."

Usyk confirmed this month that he was holding talks about defending his WBA, IBF and WBO titles against WBC champion Fury.

The British star is currently preparing for a WBC title defence against Derek Chisora on December 3.

"Right now my team is seeking conversations with Tyson Fury, and he is really an unpredictable person, so we can't guarantee when," Usyk had said.

"For me, the idea would be to fight maybe early February or the beginning of March, like March 4, because I am an orthodox Christian.

"During the great fasting before Easter I do not fight, so it should be all before or then after orthodox Easter (April 16).

"I want to fight with Fury because I need the fourth belt, and I don't want to fight with anyone else until I have the fourth belt."

Fury's US promoter, Bob Arum, had also told Sky Sports that he intended to reach an agreement for an Usyk fight.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...bdac448a3eb310

[Memphis]

Lightning does strike twice. This is exactly the situation Fury was in which fucked the Wlad rematch.

I know a lot of people are crying about it, but at the end of the day Hearn has a job to do. And that job is to get Joshua a fight against the winner of Hergovic Ruiz for the title Hergovic a shot at the title.

[Master]

Krassyuk insists that Usyk won't have to make that decision and will instead box Fury next with all-four belts on the line.

"At this stage, I can anticipate that it will not influence the undisputed anyhow," he told Sky Sports. "We expect his next fight to be for the undisputed so most likely it will take place in the Middle East."

Usyk was in preliminary discussions with Fury's US promoter Bob Arum for a date around February or March next year. Arum revealed that talks had been positive but that he wouldn't be securing a date until after Fury's next fight against Derek Chisora on December 3.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...18199887cc70d3

[Spicoli]

It's no wonder the ibf always have 'vacant' literally ranked in the top 5 in most divisions . They just don't want the wbc having all the shine after ordering a buffet of matches. But I think this goes the way a few of the ones ordered go and that's by the wayside. Be it by strip-vacate or step aside clearing the way for Fury. If he doesn't retire 24 times by next spring.

[TitoFan]

Whatever Usyk does, I sure as hell hope it doesn't involve Canelo. STOP giving this guy so much unwarranted importance. We already saw how he fared against Bivol. 'Nough said. Let Canelo concentrate on the white elephant in the 168-pound room... namely Benavidez. Usyk has fared well as a heavyweight. Let him continue his campaign undistracted.

[Master]

Sulaiman told Sky Sports: "There has been real interest in having Fury against Usyk take place, that would be a great possibility and then the winner would have to fight the WBC mandatory once that is confirmed."

"The WBC has been extremely supportive of unification bouts," Sulaiman explained.

"We supported back then Wilder against Joshua, it didn't happen. Then we supported when the time could be for Fury against Joshua again and then we support Fury against Usyk.

"If it happens it will be a tremendous fight for the world and the WBC is supportive of that as long as the rights of the mandatory contender are not infringed. So the timing right now looks very good for that to happen."

"We did a tournament with Ruiz fighting [Luis] Ortiz, Ruiz won, with Wilder fighting [Robert] Helenius, Wilder won. Now they will both meet to determine the mandatory contender of the WBC heavyweight division," Sulaiman said.

"It's a very promising and a very interesting scenario in the heavyweights with so many fights that can be done."

It means that should Wilder win, he would put himself on course for a fourth fight with Fury.

"Wilder, he was world champion of the WBC for five years, very dominating. He has the highest knockout percentage, his last outing was very impressive with a one-punch knockout, a dramatic punch," Sulaiman said.

"Ruiz has a great following. He made the world stage when he defeated Joshua by knockout and he's a fighter that you can never rule out.

"So that fight should prove to be a great, great match and then a very solid mandatory contender for the WBC."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...f693f4bf9eddd0

[donnydarkoIRL]

I think Usyk vs Joyce could be a massively fun fight.