Tyson Fury beat Derek Chisora in a fight that the WBC heavyweight champion dominated with ease, but which served him well as he prepares for a major bout against Oleksandr Usyk, probably in March or April of 2023.
The winner of that fight would become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion, and it seems that all parties intend to reach an agreement so that the fans can witness a historic fight.
The agents of both fighters have already acknowledged that talks are at an advanced stage and that the most important thing now is to decide on the location of the event. Saudi Arabia strongly wants the bout, although the options of Qatar or a large stadium in London are also being considered.
After the Chisora fight, former footballer Wayne Rooney said ‘Gypsy King’ should be made a Knight of the British Empire based on his achievements in the sport.
Manchester United fan Tyson Fury’s response started as a joke and has now become a reality.
“I know Rooney is a big boxing fan and he also comes from a boxing family,” Fury told TalkSPORT.
The WBC champion jokingly asked the former Red Devils captain to help him train for his fight against Usyk.
“I need someone smaller to get me ready for Usyk. Wayne, if you’re listening, get going, son!” he continued.
Now, the ‘Gypsy King’ claimed on ITV that he has received Rooney’s response to his proposal.
“I spoke to Wayne and he’s told me he looks well up for it. But he’s right-handed, so he has to change to fight left-handed,” he detailed.
“We’re going to bring Wayne in for the preparation against Oleksandr Usyk. Am I joking? No, he’s very very serious. He’s coming to camp for about four weeks to help me.”
Rooney has a fair amount of boxing knowledge, having trained in the sport from a very young age, although he has only ever been an amateur in the gym. He is also 1.76m tall, compared to 2.06m for ‘Gypsy King’ or 1.91m for Usyk.
He famously had an incident in his own home in 2015, when he filmed himself boxing with his friend Phil Bardsley and was knocked out.
The tricky part, though, is how to organize a camp that includes someone who coaches a football team based in Washington DC, in the middle of the season, for four weeks.
