Tyson Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum believes there is little doubt the WBC heavyweight champion will return to the ring to face the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk 19-0 (13) will risk his WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Joshua 24-2 (22) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday after winning a unanimous decision against the Brit in September.
Fury 32-0-1 (23) announced his plan to retire following his sixth-round knockout victory over Dillian Whyte in April. But Arum says he believes Fury will go around again.
“Absolutely – it’s really the only fight that makes sense for Tyson Fury,” the Top Rank boss told Sky Sports. “I’ve discussed this with my co-promoter of Fury, Frank Warren, and once this fight is over we’re going to put together a total unification match between the winner and Tyson Fury.
“Now, if Usyk wins the fight, which I expect, that will be quite easy to do because we’re very close to the Usyk people as they’re the same people who manage Vasyl Lomachenko who fights for us. If Joshua wins, Eddie Hearn is his promoter. We’ve talked many times with Hearn about various matches and I’m sure we’ll be able to come together on this one.
“I’ve talked with [Fury] and every day is different, but he’s a fighter and if the right fight is there then Fury will be up for that fight. The right fight is the unification fight against the winner of Usyk and Joshua and I think – based on my conversations with Fury – he’ll be up for that challenge. How much longer he will go after that, god only knows and I’m not sure, but I’m confident at least that he’ll answer the bell for that major fight.”
Fury, 34, is currently banned from travelling to the Unites States due to his association with alleged drug cartel boss Daniel Kinahan, who is the former head of MTK Global and has operated as an advisor to Fury in the past.
Arum believes that travel ban could be easily overturned.
“There’s no reason at the moment, he’s not fighting in the United States. So to my knowledge he hasn’t done anything. I don’t think it would be any difficulty,” Arum told The Irish Mirror.
“But again, I’m not in the US Government. It’s my government and I respect what they do, but I can’t speak for them.
“All I know is that if somebody is on the list with the travel ban, then there is a procedure that has to be followed if they want to come off. I don’t necessarily know what the procedure is. Some people in boxing have been on that list but then they go to the embassy and say what they have to say and in most cases they get taken off. That’s my understanding.”
