12 May 2023 , 09:10
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Tyson Fury has admitted time is running out for a potential July return following the collapse of his undisputed fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury was expected to face fellow heavyweight champion Usyk last month but the fight collapsed after both parties failed to reach an agreement. 'The Gypsy King' has since been linked to a fight against Zhilei Zhang or Andy Ruiz Jr in July, with Ruiz seemingly confirming the fight will take place on July 22 in the UK but no official announcement has yet been made.
With just over two months to go until the pencilled-in fight date, Fury recognises the clock is ticking as he told The Evening Standard: “One thing I can say is, if they’re going to do something [in July] then they better get their finger out. Time is ticking. They better hurry up, we’re in May now.”
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“I hear all these names being chucked around but I don’t pay any heed to them until I’m actually in the ring with them. As we’ve seen over the last 14 years, you can be linked to fight somebody and it never happens. I’m not very optimistic about any of the names until I’m actually in with them."
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Fury has been out of action since last December, cruising to a stoppage win over old foe Derek Chisora in a heavily-criticised trilogy fight. Fury and Chisora had already fought twice before, with 'The Gypsy King' comfortably winning both of their previous fights. Fury retired from boxing after knocking out Dillian Whyte last April but returned to the ring for a third fight against Chisora.
Tyson Fury is struggling to find an opponent (Top Rank via Getty Images)Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, admitted he regrets spending so much time trying to make the undisputed clash. Plans for Fury to face Zhang next were recently scuppered by Joe Joyce activating his rematch clause for a second fight against the 40-year-old following his shock defeat to him last month.
“I want to get him out whatever happens and get back in the swing of things. It’s just a bloody shame we wasted so much time [on the Usyk fight],” Warren told Boxing News. The problem we’ve got is the ones we wanted are all fighting. The Zhang fight, Joe Joyce, I wouldn’t have gone with Joe next, he’ll have to get a win first and obviously Daniel. We’ll have a look around and see what’s available.”