Oleksandr Usyk may be forced to fight Joe Joyce as he waits for the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight to go ahead, believes Frank Warren.
Both Joyce and Fury are represented by Queensbury promoter Warren, and he has confirmed that talks have begun between the pair.
The Ukrainian is currently the WBO mandatory challenger to Joshua after moving up as undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2019, and has a win over Dereck Chisora to his name. While the WBO allowed fights between Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr, and then Kubrat Pulev, to go ahead, they are no longer prepared to wait for their challenger to get his chance.
However, that could change if Usyk can be persuaded to give up or delay his right to face Joshua, though the four-belt champion could be prepared to vacate the title as he chases his huge event with Fury.
Warren, however, believes that Joyce may get the chance to face Usyk first in an eliminator fight.
Warren told IFL TV: “We’re working on, at the moment, Usyk and Joe Joyce.
“I think the WBO will order that as an ‘interim’ title fight so we’re working hard to make that happen.
“The situation is that the WBO have said they’d like to do that fight as an eliminator.
“We have no objection to that and I don’t think Usyk has.
“There’s been some preliminary talks and we’ll see where we go from there. I hope [it will happen]. It’s a good fight.
“And I think whoever wins it – based on his last performance, Joe’s looking really good.
“If he comes through it, it puts the winner in a tremendous position.
“The eventual winner of the two fights between Tyson and AJ will have to defend against Joyce or Usyk, or vacate the belt.”
Warren was asked which of his boxers he would regard as the favourite, plumping for European champion Joyce as the slight favourite.
“I like Usyk, he was a tremendous cruiserweight,” he explained.
“The two fights I’ve seen, Chazz Witherspoon and Dereck [Chisora].
“Joe is a naturally big man, Usyk has come up as a cruiserweight, he’s 34.
“It’s quite unusual for guys to do it at that age. He’s not a natural heavyweight. He can probably still make cruiserweight.
“To beat a big guy like Joe he’s gonna have to really turn it on in my opinion. You’ve got to fancy Joe to be the favourite in that fight.”