The chances of Oleksandr Usyk facing Tyson Fury next are unlikely due to the Ukrainian’s other mandatory challengers.
As of now, Usyk will be getting ready to face his WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois on August 26th, 2023. Provided that he comes out victorious, then a Fury fight will no doubt be on the table once again.
And yet, he does have an IBF mandatory (Filip Hrgovic) and WBO mandatory (Zhilei Zhang) to deal with.
Therefore, should Usyk beat Dubois, he will be in line to face the IBF interim champion, Hrgovic, next.
The Croatian has worked himself into a title shot following his win over Demsey Mckean in his last fight.
Although there is a chance that step-aside money could be given to bypass the IBF mandatory, Hrgovic has ruled that out.
“They don’t want to do that fight, Fury’s fighting some guy who’s never boxed before, they don’t want to do that. So fight your mandatories, I’m not gonna step aside and I want to get my shot. I deserve it, I work hard, I’ve been in this sport for 17 years and I want to get my chance,” Hrgovic said
That has not gone down well with the boxing community, as they doubted whether Hrgovic could cause an upset.
Social Media Reaction
Arguably lost to Zhang, a shambolic performance. Looked abysmal against McKean. Usyk would make it look very easy against Hrgovic.
— The Tories Out (@TheToriesOut) August 23, 2023
I don't see anything exceptional from Hrgovic. He didn't look like he wanted to be there against Zhang. A year later, the same type of energy. I can't see him being any issues for Usyk. Usyk is a generational fighter. Hrgovic is something we have seen before. 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
— The Tories Out (@TheToriesOut) August 23, 2023
He’s a European level fighter not world level, he should stay in his lane.
— Silly silly (@sometin54289160) August 23, 2023