Tyson Fury Says If Usyk’s Not Ready For February, He’ll Fight Joe Joyce At Wembley

By James Slater - 11/23/2022 - Comments

WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury says he will fight three times next year, and he is already looking at compiling a hit-list. Fury, speaking with Sky Sports, said if Oleksandr Usyk “don’t want no smoke in February, let’s do [Joe] Joyce at Wembley.” The unification showdown between rival heavyweight champions Usyk and Fury is the fight we want, but a Fury-Joyce collision would be most acceptable by way of either a replacement for Fury-Usyk or as the fight before it.

Fury says he ranks “The Juggernaut” very highly indeed, as either the second or third best heavyweight out there today (Fury of course ranks himself as the top dog).

“If Usyk don’t want no smoke in February, let’s do Joe Joyce at Wembley,” Fury said. “Joe, get your skates on, get fit, because if the middleweight don’t want no smoke you’re in. I’m fighting three times next year and you could be one of them.”

And to think, it was mere weeks ago when Fury was busy telling anyone who would listen that he was a retired fighter! Fury-Joyce would be a fascinating fight, one we wouldn’t mind paying to see. Joyce seems to have a chin formed from iron, and his engine sees to it that he keeps rolling, keeps coming. How would Fury, as fine a boxer as he is, deal with the heat and the pressure Joyce would bring?

“[Joyce], in my opinion, is the number two-ranked heavyweight in the world behind myself – maybe number three because I I don’t think anybody in the world can take Deontay Wilder‘s power, only myself,” Fury said.

A Wilder-Joyce fight is also one fans have called for. But Fury, who says Usyk is “top of the shopping list” as far as his next fight after the Derek Chisora trilogy fight goes, will add further excitement to the heavyweight division if he is busy in 2023, as he says he will be.

“I’ve told Frank [Warren] I want to be a nice, active heavyweight champion – no messing around, no retiring, no long stints out of the ring, Fury continued. “Straight into it, three fights next year. Get this man [Chisora] out of the way first and then we’ll fight three fights next year.”

Hopefully Fury means what he is saying this time. Fury-Usyk, Fury-Joyce and Fury-TBA would be a good heavyweight year.