Oleksandr Usyk appears ready to fight Tyson Fury in an undisputed clash for the heavyweight division.
Usyk was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night as he watched the WBC champion take on Francis Ngannou in his first fight of 2023.
There had been rumours that a second fight would be against the Ukrainian unified champion, but that could be pushed back to 2024 given the nature of Fury’s win.
The Briton was awarded a split-decision victory after he hit the deck in the third round and delivered an uncharacteristically unconvincing performance against the former UFC man.
A cut to his forehead and worries about his showing might lead him to hit the gym, recover and redouble his training in an attempt to win against another technical fighter with a southpaw stance in Usyk.
Usyk came into the ring after Fury’s win to stare down his potential opponent, with them both already discussing a fight on social media that still looks set to go ahead.
Fury was asked in the ring whether he was ready to fight Usyk and gave his agreement, and the three-belt champion was similarly keen.
Usyk stated: “Let’s go.”
He continued: “I’m going to be fighting him, amazing. This fight, it’s a big fight. Whole world wants this fight.”