Though not many will believe it, there’s a good chance that Tyson Fury hangs up his gloves after suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
In a thrilling contest where neither man refused to give an inch, it was Usyk who finished the stronger, just as he did seven months ago, to pick up a repeat victory.
Usyk became undisputed champion by just a single point in May as he earned a split decision win, but this time it was more clear-cut as all three judges scored the bout 116-112 in his favour.
Fury promptly left the ring after the result was announced having clearly been disappointed that his efforts got very little recognition from the judges.
Later, at the post-fight press conference, Fury was asked about his future in the sport and cryptically replied: ‘You might see me fight again, you might not’.
Here, Mail Sport takes a look at Tyson Fury’s future within the sport and the future of the heavyweight division in general.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight titles after beating Tyson Fury on Saturday night
Fury was consoled by Frank Warren (left) inside the ring after the decision was announced
The Ukrainian outworked his British counter-part (left) in their highly-anticipated rematch
Tyson Fury
So, what next for the Gypsy King?
Back-to-back defeats to Usyk is likely to have put a dent in motivation for Fury, who infamously walked away from the sport after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
If his three-year hiatus from boxing proved anything, it’s that Fury is someone who can live without boxing and, with that in mind, would likely be happy to walk away from the squared-circle at this point.
With Usyk the ruler of the division and Fury hardly needing to prove himself after his glittering career inside the ring, there’s hardly a reason for him to stick around.
However, many are certain that Fury will in fact return in the future for a blockbuster bout against British rival Anthony Joshua which has long been mooted.
After Fury beat Klitschko, Joshua became a champion in his own right by demolishing Charles Martin at the O2 Arena, and the all-British clash looked like the fight to make.
Though fans have still never seen Fury and Joshua settle their differences inside the ring, that could soon change.
Both men would be entering the bout off the back of defeats after Joshua was dominated by Daniel Dubois in September, but there remains interest in how it would all unfold.
Fury has spoken about his future after losing to Usyk for a second time on Saturday night
Anthony Joshua
After a dominant display against MMA-star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou in March, it looked as though 2024 was going to be Joshua’s year. But how wrong we were.
The victory over Ngannou would be Joshua’s sole win in the calendar year, with his only other bout ending in a brutal KO at the hands of Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois.
‘AJ’ was dispatched within five rounds of their bout and has since been left at a crossroads after falling to his compatriot at Wembley in September.
His promoter Eddie Hearn, however, revealed ahead of Fury vs Usyk 2 that there were two names Joshua had his eyes set on for a bout in the near future.
Speaking before the fight, Hearn said: ‘From our side we’ve got Anthony Joshua and an Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight will be a huge global event as well.
‘Obviously, if Fury wins the fight on Saturday that sets up a massive fight with AJ, if he loses the fight it’s still a huge fight with AJ.
‘We’ve got the potential of a Daniel Dubois rematch as well. So I think AJ’s next fight will be Fury or Dubois.
‘I don’t see many other big fights out there for him. I think he just wants the biggest fights available to him. So the result of Saturday will be very important for Anthony Joshua as well.’
With Fury falling to defeat, it’s likely that will be the fight to make happen. Should the Gypsy King refuse, then Joshua will likely rematch Dubois.
A fight with domestic rival Anthony Joshua could convince Fury to fight on
But Joshua is also coming off a loss after being beaten by Daniel Dubois in September
Daniel Dubois
We all know who Dubois wants to fight next.
The British heavyweight made that abundantly clear on Saturday night as he stormed into the ring and demanded a rematch against Usyk.
Dubois fell to a controversial defeat against the Ukrainian in August last year, after landing a contentious low blow before Usyk battled back to secure a KO win.
Dubois still holds a grudge following his defeat to Usyk and described it as a ‘robbery’ after crashing Usyk’s ring interview to say: ‘Well done on tonight. I want my revenge for the robbery last time. Let’s get in here. Let’s go.’
However, that will not be Dubois’ next fight due to the fact the 27-year-old already has a world title fight lined up against Joseph Parker on February 22nd.
On the night, the British star will defend his IBF title against the New Zealander at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Should he successfully defend his heavyweight belt against Parker, it’s likely that we’ll see a rematch between himself and Usyk some time next year.
Daniel Dubois stormed the ring and demanded a rematch against Usyk on Saturday night
Dubois is eager for a rematch against Usyk following his defeat in Poland in August 2023
Moses Itauma
It’s a phrase that gets thrown about far too often but this time, we mean it. Remember the name; Moses Itauma.
On Saturday night, the 19-year-old proved once again why he is one of boxing’s most exciting prospects as he extended his record to 11-0 against Demsey McKean.
The British star produced a brutal overhand left which caught the Australian flush on the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas and unable to get back up.
McKean was Itauma’s most formidable opponent to date but the teenager made him look like an amateur during their bout. Now, he turns his attention to what’s next.
There have been a number of names mooted for a potential bout against Itauma such as Scotland-based Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole, Australian Justis Huni and undefeated Irishman Thomas Carty.
Furthermore, some have suggested that in 2025, we could even see the youngster take on the likes of Fabio Wardley – who only sits five places above Itauma in the IBF rankings.
Moses Itauma produced another stunning knockout on the Usyk vs Fury undercard
The British star, 19, left Demsey McKean (bottom) on the floor to extend his record to 11-0
The Outsiders
While the quartet of aforementioned heavyweight stars are the main men to look out for next year, there are still a plethora of other British boxers to keep an eye out for.
Arguably the most notable of those is Wardley, who produced a KO win in his recent rematch with Frazer Clarke. The pair previously drew in a 12-round fight at The O2.
Wardley’s promoter suggested that the heavyweight was interested in a potential bout with Dubois – however the latter has his eyes set elsewhere for that bout.
His most recent opponent, Clarke, is also in search of his next bout but will have to wait until at least April to recover from the injuries sustained against Wardley.
Similarly to Itauma, another rising star is Johnny Fisher who held on to his unbeaten record in controversial fashion with a split decision win over Dave Allen in Riyadh.
Johnny Fisher got back up to hold on to his unbeaten record on Saturday afternoon
Fisher was a huge favourite with the bookmakers heading into the contest, and came out with vicious intentions as he consistently caught Allen to the body and head in the early rounds.
But the tide turned in a dramatic fifth round as Allen landed a barrage of punches that sent Fisher to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.
Though it was a harder battle than he’d likely anticipated, Fisher showed grit and adversity to come through with a win and will likely push on in 2025.
Elsewhere, there is also the likes of Joe Joyce who is searching for redemption after suffering three defeats in his last four boxing matches.
