It took 12 brutal rounds and a broken jaw to attain the biggest title in boxing, but it will all be gone in a matter of weeks for newly minted undisputed heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk is the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis held the honour for five months in 1999 and 2000.
The former cruiserweight champion (22-0) added Fury’s WBC title to his own WBA, IBF and WBO belts but the Ukraine star’s reign atop the heavyweight division will only last a fraction of the time, because both Tyson Fury and Usyk were notified ahead of the bout, they must vacate the IBF title before mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic’s bout with Daniel Dubois.
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That fight will take place on June 2 AEST for the 31-year-old Croatian Hrgovic, who is unbeaten in 17 fights since turning pro after winning bronze at the Rio Olympics.
He previously held both the WBC and IBF “international” heavyweight titles but has never owned a main belt.
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So what now for Usyk and Fury after such a monumental battle that gave boxing the signature bout that it so sorely needed?
What’s next for Oleksandr Usyk?
Both Fury and Usyk had a rematch clause in the fight contract which means they’ll face off again in Riyadh later this year.
“I have a rematch clause and I want it because I won that fight,” Fury said whilst still in the ring.
“We’ll go and rest up and fight again in October.”
Promoter Frank Warren also confirmed that the rematch is on.
“That’s what the contract says and if that’s what [Fury] wants, then it’s up to him,” Warren told the broadcasters.
Usyk has fought once a year for the past five years and has fought every fight in his rival’s backyard since 2015, so no fight is off the cards for the Ukrainian slugger.
But he’s already defeated the biggest stars in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, and joined Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue as the third male boxer to be undisputed at two different weight classes in the four-belt era.
At 37, one must ask how much longer Usyk has in the fight game, even though he looks like he could go for a few more years.
If he ends up winning the rematch against Fury, then he’ll more than likely fight either Anthony Joshua or the winner of Hrgovic v Dubois fight. Joshua will face off with the winner of Hrgovic v Dubois for the IBF crown in September.
Usyk v Anthony Joshua rematch?
The only problem with a Joshua rematch is that Usyk has already beaten the Brit twice, and convincingly on both occasions in 2021 and 2022.
The 34-year-old Joshua has shown improvement in his past three fights, after a shaky showing against Jermaine Franklin Jr. following his second defeat to Usyk. He also performed well against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March, scoring a second-round KO.
It’s unknown, however, whether Usyk would entertain another Joshua clash to recapture the undisputed title once again.
Joshua would have plenty to gain from such an event, yet it might be difficult for the Ukrainian star to be motivated to take on someone he’s already beaten twice.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh confirmed Joshua will be in the driver’s seat to claim the IBF belt.
“We have Joshua’s fight in September,” he said.
”It all depends on the result of the Hrgovic fight [with Dubois].
“Because now we have locked Wilder to Jared Anderson in the card in Los Angeles.”
Apart from Joshua, there really isn’t an opponent that can garner interest that has a belt as well.
Former interim champ Joe Joyce was stopped in successive fights by 41-year-old Chinese fighter Zhilei Zhang, who skittled a world title shot when he lost to Kiwi Joseph Parker in March.
Zhang will meet Deontay Wilder on June 2 AEST, with both men needing a win to remain relevant for big fights and paydays.
There’s also Joseph Parker, the Kiwi pugilist who beat Wilder by unanimous decision late last year.
Parker has looked swift in his past two fights and has now registered five wins in a row.
Usyk has dealt with the big money spinners in the division and has beaten them all, so finding his next opponent might be a challenge.
What’s next for Tyson Fury?
Fury will take part in the rematch later this year but, regardless of the result, there’s strong mail that an all British clash with Joshua is a much fancied venture for both fighters.
The bout had been touted to take place for years at London’s Wembley Stadium and there’s no doubt it would be a sold out fight with 90,000 fans packed in.
Fury could renege on the Usyk rematch if he’s offered more money to fight Joshua, but promoter Frank Warren doubts that will happen.
”That rematch, he will get extremely, extremely well paid for. Huge money,” Warren said.
“So I’d be very surprised, unless [Usyk] retires, [if] that will [not] happen. He won’t fight in September anyway, Tyson, he’s down to fight for the rematch if it happens in October.”
Warren expects Joshua will be next in line for Fury, even if he loses the rematch.
“Provided A.J. keeps winning, that fight will happen early next year,” Warren said. “There’s been discussions about it. Nothing’s been guaranteed. Tyson hasn’t agreed to it. It’s just been discussions amongst the powers that be.
“That’s the best-case situation.”
While Fury v Joshua in Britain seems like a no-brainer, Warren said there’s hard decision on where the fight may take place, with Saudi Arabia again in the mix.
“That hasn’t been decided,” Warren said of a location for a potential Fury v Joshua fight. “As a promoter, it would be great for Britain to be quite honest, of course it would. But you know what?
“They’re professional boxers and they’ve got to go where the money is. That’s what they do. That’s what they are.
“I’ll put it to you this way, why did Muhammad Ali fight [George] Foreman in Africa? Why was there a Thrilla in Manilla?
“Why was there a big heavyweight fight between Foreman and Joe Frazier in Jamaica, and so forth?
“And they were American fighters. Fought outside their time zones. They did it because they’re professional boxers.”