What next for heavyweight division after Fury's win?

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Tyson Fury 'not interested' in fighting anyone except Anthony Joshua

BySean ByrneBBC Sport

Published33 minutes ago
24 Comments

What does Tyson Fury's comeback victory mean for boxing's heavyweight scene? And who could the Gypsy King fight next?

The 37-year-old returned to boxing after 15 months away with a comfortable decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov.

He won widely on the scorecards and immediately called out British rival Anthony Joshua, who was at ringside.

Fury returned to the ring on the back of two defeats by heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk - his only professional career losses to date.

He has made clear now that an all-British contest with Joshua is the only one that interests him.

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Will we finally see Fury face Joshua?

It is a question boxing fans have been asking for the past decade - and this year we may finally get an answer.

Talks are under way for the long-awaited bout to take place at Croke Park in Dublin this September. But nothing has been confirmed.

As soon as the scorecards were announced at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury was on the mic demanding a "yes or no" answer from long-time rival Joshua about a fight next.

"I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept?" Fury announced to the crowd.

But Joshua refused to confirm whether a fight between the pair would happen next, instead calling Fury a "clout chaser".

"You aren't going to tell me what to do - I've been chasing you for 10 years," Joshua replied.

It remains to be seen whether Joshua will fight Fury next, or if he will instead opt for a warm-up bout, having last fought in December against Jake Paul.

Either way, a potential fight between the two British heavyweights will be a major topic of discussion on the boxing scene this year.

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What next for Usyk?

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk at the M&S Bank Arena

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Oleksandr Usyk will face former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven next

Ukrainian great Oleksandr Usyk returns to the ring on 23 May when he defends his WBC title against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in Egypt.

Verhoeven will box for the first time since 2014 when he faces Usyk, who is unbeaten in 24 professional bouts.

Assuming Usyk gets past the 36-year-old, it is unclear what he will do next.

He vacated his WBO title instead of facing Fabio Wardley, and may well choose to vacate his other belts too rather than face mandatory challengers in the future.

Wardley remains a potential opponent, while many boxing purists were also calling on him to face German boxer Agit Kabayel before the Verhoeven announcement.

Kabayel is also undefeated in 27 professional bouts, winning 19 of those by stoppage - including victories over Makhmudov and Zhilei Zhang.

What about Wardley and Dubois?

Fabio Wardley poses for a photograph with Daniel Dubois and Promotor Frank Warren

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Fabio Wardley will face Daniel Dubois in an all-British bout

Wardley puts his WBO heavyweight title on the line against Daniel Dubois at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena on 9 May.

Wardley told BBC Sport he would "100% be up" for fighting Fury later this year, but also admitted he would prioritise a potential undisputed heavyweight fight with Usyk in the future.

Last time out, Wardley stopped Joseph Parker to claim the interim WBO title, and is yet to be beaten as a professional, with 20 wins and one draw.

Dubois suffered a brutal fifth-round stoppage loss to Usyk in his last fight, and will look to return to winning ways against his British rival.

Whoever wins, a bout against the exciting WBO number one contender could be next...

Where does Itauma fit in?

Moses Itauma and Derek Chisora at ringside

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Moses Itauma (left) is considered by many as the future of heavyweight boxing

One of the most exciting prospects in the sport is also keen to take on a big name in the heavyweight division next.

Britain's Moses Itauma, 21, earned an impressive fifth-round win over Jermaine Franklin in March, becoming the first fighter to stop the American in 27 fights.

Itauma's team must now decide what next for a young fighter who, so far, has proved that the hype is justified.

His win over Franklin kept him as number one challenger for the WBO title, so if his team feels he is ready, a fight against the winner of Wardley v Dubois could be next.

A learning fight for Itauma seems the best option as he waits for his world title shot. Itauma has mentioned that an option is seasoned contender Filip Hrgovic, who fights Dave Allen in May.

Elsewhere, Richard Riakporhe is the new British champion and Derek Chisora has appeared to do a U-turn on his retirement plans.

With Frazer Clarke and Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva both picking up losses on the Fury undercard in entertaining fights, there are plenty of options for British heavyweights.