At 38 years old, Oleksandr Usyk can say that he has accomplished everything a boxer would ever want. He’s the king of the heavyweight division, holding the undisputed titles since May 18, 2024, when he beat Tyson Fury for the first time. That came after he discarded Tony Bellew, Chazz Witherspoon, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua (twice) and Daniel Dubois in succession. He ran through everyone and cemented his legacy.
But he’s still going. On Saturday, he will face Dubois again, this time in the latter’s home country. Usyk is focused squarely on the dangerous Dubois, but rumors of a third fight against Fury haven’t relented. The Gypsy King himself has made it seem like it’s happening as long as Usyk wins this weekend. Usyk can’t seem to escape Fury despite beating him twice. Naturally, that would lead to some lingering resentment, but that actually isn’t the case at all.
Oleksandr Usyk praises “special guy” Tyson Fury
While doing an interview with Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine just two days before the Dubois fight, Usyk was asked what he learned from his two fights with Fury. In reality, the Ukrainian learned that Fury is a “special guy”. While calling him special, Usyk pointed to his head and his heart.
“He’s a great opponent. Tyson Fury, for my opinion, is a special guy. 24 rounds with Tyson Fury. It’s like going to space and back.“
Both fights were battles, although the first one was much closer than the second. Fury looked to be in control for the first half of the first bout, before Usyk turned it all around. Usyk controlled the majority of the second fight and won handily.
Turki Alalshikh wants to make Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua in 2026
Given that respect and the fact that Fury has basically confirmed he would be back for the trilogy fight in April of 2026, many thought the third fight was a shoo-in. But that might not be the case. That’s because on the same day of the interview, Turki Alalshikh said he’s looking to make the Fury vs. Joshua bout in 2026.
Before that happens, Alalshikh would want a tune-up for both fighters. Usyk is the farthest thing from a tune-up for Fury, so that would put the trilogy fight on the backburner for now. Of course, nothing is set in stone, and no one is 100 percent sure what will happen over the coming months.
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