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Usyk, Joshua, Whyte, Ruiz Jr: Who will Tyson Fury fight next?

Tyson Fury wants to return to the ring in March and Planet Sport takes a look at the possible opponents he could face...

The WBC have installed Dillian Whyte as the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury's heavyweight title.
The "Bodysnatcher" is yet to challenge for a world title despite wins over former champions Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin and other top names including Oscar Rivas.
However, Planet Sport understands that while negotiations are yet to begin, the real reason behind the delay is an arbitration court battle between Whyte and the WBC.

Fury's UK promoter Frank Warren believes it will take until March for things to get resolved and the "Gypsy King" is prepared to move on without Whyte.

Arum has suggested two former world champions as a potential opponent for Fury and Planet Sport has looked at some of the names he could face instead of Whyte.

Oleksandr Usyk

The Ukrainian is set for a rematch against Anthony Joshua but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

There had been rumours of Joshua being interested in taking a step aside fee to allow Fury-Usyk, something Eddie Hearn told Planet Sport was no longer something they entertained despite initial talks.

With nothing confirmed, could there be one more twist in the ever-changing heavyweight landscape? Nothing can be ruled out but we imagine Usyk will face Joshua next.

Andy Ruiz Jr

Mexico's first heavyweight champion has fought just once since his defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2019.

While he is interested in taking on Deontay Wilder, a chance of facing Tyson Fury would be an opportunity too good to turn down for Ruiz. Out of all the options outside of Dillian Whyte, this is the most appealing.

Ruiz's only fight since Joshua was against Chris Arreola, an opponent he went on to defeat via unanimous decision. His fast hands and the guidance of Eddy Reynoso could be enough to trouble Fury if he takes his eye off the ball given his previous struggles against smaller opponents.

Joseph Parker

Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora, Heavyweight bout, Dec19
The Kiwi recently produced an impressive performance to outpoint Derek Chisora in Manchester, England.

A former world champion, Parker is looking to climb back to the top and is a fighter improving under Andy Lee. Bob Arum admitted Parker was under consideration to be Fury's next bout.

However, Parker and Fury are good friends, and given the connection between themselves and Lee, it is a fight that won't ever happen according to Parker.

Joe Joyce

The 2016 Olympian is the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk's WBO title but may be forced to wait until 2023 to face him.
At 36, time is not on Joyce's side and he is looking to fight the best sooner rather than later. An all-British blockbuster with Fury is something he would relish and given the power he possesses, he would be one of his toughest tests on paper.
Joyce has won all 13 of his professional fights with 12 coming inside the distance including stoppages over Carlos Takam and Daniel Dubois.

Anthony Joshua

Surely not?
As we know he wants to become a three-time heavyweight world champion but if negotiations with Oleksandr Usyk take longer than planned then maybe AJ will look elsewhere.

Eddie Hearn believes the pair can face each other in 2022 but what better way to start things off by announcing a shock domestic dust-up between the two?

Possibly without any recognised world titles on the line and Joshua coming off a loss, it may be a tough sell to the British market. In an ideal world, Fury and Joshua both come through their next fights and set up a unification showdown.

Read more: Anthony Joshua, Teofimo Lopez and more - Boxing's biggest upsets in 2021

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