Tyson Fury is set to have one more fight before taking on Anthony Joshua later this year. The former two-time heavyweight champion returned to the ring last month, but will have one more bout before facing his long-time rival.
Fury's Return and Joshua Agreement
The 'Gypsy King' announced his retirement from the sport last year following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia. However, it did not take long for the Morecambe scrapper to make a major U-turn and express his desire to compete again. Fury, 37, returned to action last month against Arslanbek Makhmudov. The Brit showed no signs of ring rust after cruising to a comfortable points win in front of over 60,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. With Joshua watching up close, Fury immediately called for a clash with his long-time rival, but 'AJ' just sat in his seat ringside, unwilling to bite back.
Just days after Fury's comeback fight, it was confirmed that both the 'Gypsy King' and Joshua had agreed to face each other. 'AJ' is expected to fight on July 25 in Riyadh against Kristian Prenga. After hearing of the Brit's return, Fury decided that he, too, would have another fight under his belt towards the back end of the summer.
Fury's Fight Plan and Potential Opponent
Fury plans on fighting in August after revealing to FurociTV: "So my fight plan this year, with three fights. So it will be April, August and whenever the big fight is announced, either October or November. We have not got an opponent yet. But again, it's never about the opponent, it's just about me versus me always. So, whoever the opponent is, if it's Joe Bloggs or if it's Mike Tyson, it's all important to me. It's just a run out for me. Like, just to get sharper for the big one."
His return could land on August 1 after former footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to announce he is fighting Fury. In a surprising post, the ex-Manchester United striker shared a series of pictures squaring up to the boxing icon. Ibrahimovic stated that the fight would take place in Dublin, but no venue has been confirmed. "BREAKING NEWS! ITS ON AUGUST 1 DUBLIN Ireland", said the Swede. While a clash between Ibrahimovic and Fury is very unlikely to come to fruition, the Swedish star may have possibly leaked the British boxer's return date. Regarding the 'Gypsy King's' next fight, an opponent is still yet to be confirmed, but could be announced in the coming weeks.
Fury's Prediction for Joshua Fight
With Fury and Joshua set to meet in either October or November, the former explained exactly how he will beat his bitter rival. "I'll knock him out for sure. He will not be able to survive against me," he said. "He does not have any chin and I will bang him on it because I am quicker than him and I am a better boxer. So, the fun facts are this: Daniel Dubois' last five fights have been Usyk, 'Big Baby' Miller, Hrgovic, Joshua and Wardley. And out of all of those five men, he banged all of them on the jaw each time. And the only sucker to go down five times or even once was Joshua."
"He hit Usyk with everything right on the jaw - did not go over. Wardley the same. You saw it for ten, eleven rounds on the night. 'Big Baby' Miller was under total pressure the whole time. Did not go down once and so did Hrgovic, the same. The only one who got knocked out and knocked down five times was Joshua. So I will put him back in where he should be. Bambi on ice."
