Tyson Fury will be required to defend any heavyweight titles following his fights with Francis Ngannou and Oleksandr Usyk.
That is according to the WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman. Fury’s upcoming fight with Ngannou is without the WBC title being at stake, which drew a lot of criticism since Fury’s last mandatory was all the way back in December with a tenth-round stoppage win over Dereck Chisora. Thereafter, there had been an expectation that Fury would face Usyk. However, talks over a fight in April broke down as Fury faced Ngannou instead. But given that it is a non-title fight, the bout was questioned only for the criticism to die down with the news that Fury and Usyk have agreed an undisputed fight. And following that latter doubt, Fury will be required to fulfil any mandatories.
“Yes, Tyson Fury is the WBC heavyweight champion regardless, and we are proud, and he’s just been waiting to have the great fight that everyone is expecting. Yes, he must [defend any belts],” Sulaiman
Nevertheless, there are question marks over where Fury goes after a fight with Usyk, particularly if the boxer secures a win. Although a rematch is in place, the IBF has confirmed that the winner would be stripped if they did not face the mandatory Filip Hrgovic. Therefore, there is a chance that Fury could vacate following the win, especially given his desire to potentially face Jon Jones in a crossover fight. So, moving forward, Fury has plenty to consider.