WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could be involved in not one, but two high-profile fights before 2023 comes to an end.
First up is a clash with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou this coming weekend which will be broadcast in a number of regions on DAZN PPV, then there is the possibility of a fight with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title before the year is out.
It was announced in September that a deal had been reached for the two to finally face each other in Saudi Arabia, but while a date has not been officially announced, all roads seem to be leading towards December 23.
It's likely that Fury would be considered a slight favourite to have his hand raised in a fight with Usyk, but former two-weight world champion Timothy Bradley believes there are plenty of areas the Ukrainian could exploit once he goes head-to-head with his British rival.
"I was watching Fury the other night and he’s a big guy and we pay attention to what he does well, but we don’t pay attention to what he doesn’t do well. He boxes in a lot of straight lines, he does,” Bradley said in an interview FightHype.
“Yeah, he can box laterally, but he boxes in a lot of straight lines and he’s been boxing in a lot of straight lines recently.
“If you go back and watch him against Wilder and watch the first couple of rounds, you see when he’s stepping back he’s stepping back in a straight line. You’re going to see that if he continues that, Usyk will follow him out. He’s going to be looking to follow him out because Fury’s feet aren’t set.
"He’s not punching and he’s just stepping back and trying to get out of range and you’re going to see Usyk attacking his body a whole hell of a lot because he’s so tall, so big. It’s not like he crouches down and tucks his elbows in to block shots. He tried to get his whole body out of the way and he’s pretty slow on his feet.”