Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury Gets Step In Right Direction As Oleksandr Usyk In Talks To Fight Joe Joyce

Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury took a big step in the right direction.

Oleksandr Usyk, the mandatory for Anthony Joshua’s WBO belt, could pose a big threat in keeping the fight from happening, is reportedly in talks for a different fight. According to Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk, they are in talks to face Joe Joyce.

“I received the call from George Warren [the son of Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren] with the offer to promote Usyk vs Joyce for the interim WBO heavyweight championship this spring,” Krassyuk said to Sky Sports. “We also received the letter from WBO saying that they are considering granting sanction for AJ vs Fury.

“But Usyk has never received any serious offer nor anyone approached him with the offer to ‘step aside’. We all read it from media,” the promoter continued. “I know that the WBO in general and its president Paco Valcarcel in particular will never violate the rules of its organisation and sanction the major fight without Usyk’s consent. So now is the best time for the AJ vs Fury fight promoters to make Usyk a serious offer either to fight the WBO champion or to step aside and fight for the interim.”

If Usyk and Joyce do end up fighting, there is no question that Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury would be next. It would be one of the biggest heavyweight fights of all-time and it is good to see other boxers want to see it happen.

For Oleksandr Usyk, he is coming off a decision win over Derek Chisora in October. He is currently 18-0 and holds notable wins over Tony Bellew, Murat Gassiev, and Marco Huck.

Joe Joyce, meanwhile, is 10-0 and picked up a massive win over Daniel Dubois last time out. It was the biggest win of his career and put him contention to fight the elite of the heavyweight division.

Who do you think will win, Oleksandr Usyk or Joe Joyce?