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Boxing

Tyson Fury could be ordered to face heavyweight fighter if successful against Oleksandr Usyk — and it's not Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury could be ordered to face heavyweight fighter if successful against Oleksandr Usyk — and it's not Anthony JoshuaGetty Images

Tyson Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight championship in May, live on DAZN, but his next opponent could be a surprising one.

Fury is the WBC champion, and he's putting his belt on the line against WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO title-holder Usyk in a hugely anticipated bout in Saudi Arabia, with a rematch clause in place that will see the fighters run it back later in the year.

Should Fury come out of the two fights holding all of the belts, it's expected that Anthony Joshua would be first in line to face his countryman in a massive all-British showdown.

However, another fighter has risen in the WBC title picture that could complicate a potential Fury vs. Joshua meeting. Undefeated Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez appears set to face Agit Kabayel in an eliminator, with the winner then becoming the mandatory challenger for the WBC title.

With that in mind, Sanchez's team are eager to get their fighter into the title picture regardless of any established plans for the belts.

"For our part, we are 100 per cent trying to make the fight versus Kabayel," Sanchez's co-manager Mike Borao told Sky Sports.

"Both fighters had fantastic performances in Saudi Arabia [on the Joshua vs. Otto Wallin undercard late last year], so it's a natural fight to make with the added bonus of the eliminator being called by the WBC."

While the WBC eliminator between Sanchez and Kabayel could cause problems for a potential Fury vs. Joshua fight (or another Usyk vs. Joshua bout), the organisation's president said nothing's written in stone as far as that's concerned.

"The WBC was presented a sanction request which was to fight for the undisputed," WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said. "The WBC accepted that sanctioning and we accepted the rematch they have requested. 

"But, if it is not anything to do with contractual or promotion, we would absolutely accept the winner to fight Joshua.

"The WBC has been very much attentive to this matter. So we have completely freed the ground for the undisputed, for a rematch, and for another fight of that level.

"The WBC position right now is very open to support the undisputed champion taking on the fights that the fans want to see."

Sulaiman added: "We did order Kabayel to fight Frank Sanchez as an elimination bout without any consideration to be in the way of anything." 

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