- Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White told Sky Sports he had not even heard the rumour that Tyson Fury is injured, a month before Fury fights Anthony Joshua at the Principality Stadium on Friday 11 December
- Frank Warren says that if Fury beats Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk could be tempted to stay at heavyweight for a trilogy rather than drop to cruiserweight
- My view: the injury talk is noise, Fury beats Joshua, and Usyk vs Fury 3 is the fight that gets made next
The Fury Injury Rumour: What Was Actually Said
Right then. Every big fight has a week where the rumour mill goes into overdrive, and Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua had theirs at the weekend. A former world heavyweight champion said on a podcast that someone at his gym had heard Fury was carrying an injury that could stop him fighting. Add in a video of Fury with a mark under his left eye and social media did the rest.
Let's not beat around the bush, there was never anything solid behind it. Nobody close to the fight has confirmed an injury, and Dana White put it to bed when he spoke to Sky Sports. White said he had not even heard the rumour, never mind heard that it was true, and that he would have known by now if there was a problem. He also said a rematch is possible whatever happens in Cardiff, and compared it to the Fury and Wilder saga. That is the man running Zuffa Boxing telling you the fight is on.
Why I Am Not Worried
A mark under the eye a month out from a fight tells you one thing: Fury is sparring. If you know, you know. Heavyweights preparing for a stadium fight get hit in camp, and Fury has never been a man who hides from hard rounds. If Fury was genuinely hurt we would be hearing about a new date, not a promoter shrugging his shoulders. Fury's camp has gone quiet because there is nothing to say.
And remember where Fury's head is at. A fortnight ago he told us retirement is not on his mind and that he could sign a ten-fight deal. That is not a man looking for a way out of Cardiff.
Warren On Usyk: The Trilogy Is Back On The Table
The more interesting story came from Frank Warren. Oleksandr Usyk's team has been talking about a return to cruiserweight, where David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia are the obvious names. Warren told Sky Sports he was very surprised by that plan, pointed out how hard it is to shed 20 to 30lbs at 39, and when asked whether Usyk could be tempted to stay at heavyweight for a Fury trilogy if Fury beats Joshua, he said he would have thought so.
Make no mistake, Warren is selling his fighter here. But he has a point. Usyk has beaten Fury twice and the money in a third fight dwarfs anything at 200lbs. Warren also listed the other heavyweight options for Usyk: WBC champion Agit Kabayel, new IBF champion Filip Hrgovic and Moses Itauma. Kabayel defends against Nelson Hysa in Düsseldorf on 28 November, and Warren reckons Kabayel vs Usyk would fill a stadium in Europe. He is right about that.
Fury Wants Usyk, Not Just Joshua
Fury has already called Joshua a warm-up for Usyk and keeps saying Usyk vacated the belts rather than face his mandatories. That is the noise. The reality is that Fury wants a third crack at the only man who has beaten him, and the Joshua fight is the road to it.
My Prediction For Cardiff And Beyond
I have said it before and I will say it again: Fury beats Joshua on 11 December. Joshua still has the power to end it with one shot, and he showed that against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, but Fury's size, movement and ring IQ are levels above what Joshua has dealt with lately. I see Fury breaking him down and winning inside the distance in the second half of the fight, as Warren predicted back in October.
After that, I expect Usyk to stay at heavyweight. The cruiserweight talk is a negotiating tool. A third Fury fight is the bigger payday and the bigger legacy fight, and Usyk is too smart to walk past it. Fury vs Usyk 3 in 2027. Book it.