TYSON FURY has been handed his own “Christmas gift” with a two-fight Anthony Joshua deal after his bitter points loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Gypsy King, 36, lost to Ukrainian Usyk for the second successive time but the Brit and promoter Frank Warren were adamant he won in Saudi Arabia after all three of the judges scored Saturday’s fight 116-112.
Tyson Fury is open to any challenge 2025 brings[/caption]
Anthony Joshua could be his next opponent in a two-fight deal[/caption]
Fury insisted unified champ Usyk had received an early “Christmas gift”.
But he has been offered back-to-back fights with AJ at Wembley and Riyadh to heal the wound.
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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: “The reality is there’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that is Anthony Joshua. It’s the biggest fight in the history of British boxing and everyone will want to see it.
“That wasn’t a Tyson Fury who looked finished.
“It wasn’t a flat performance, it wasn’t a poor performance.
“He didn’t look gun shy or like his punch resistance was in question.
“Tyson Fury is still potentially at the peak of his powers, just not good enough to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
“For me AJ against Fury is the one. One at Wembley and then back out here for Riyadh Season.”
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Fury was fuming at the scorecards after his loss and Warren said he was “dumbfounded” by the “nuts” verdict in the Riyadh rematch.
And the Gypsy King said: “I felt a little Christmas spirit in there and the judges gave him an early Christmas gift. I thought I’d won both fights but I’ve gone home with two losses on my record.
“I will always believe until the day I die I won that fight. There’s no doubt in my mind.
“Frank had me three or four rounds up and a lot of people had me up by at least two.
“I know I had to knock him out. I know boxing, I’ve been in it all my life, and you can’t change decisions.
“I will always feel a little bit hard done by. Not a little bit, actually a lot. When you don’t get the knockout, this is what happens. You can’t guarantee the win.”
Despite conceding four stones and six inches in height, Usyk landed more and bigger shots with greater accuracy.
And 20st Fury cut his workrate in the second half of the fight.
Knowing AJ has ducked a Daniel Dubois rematch to land a Fury windfall, the Mancunian added: “We go now into a new year and whatever that brings, we’ll see.
“I’ve not got a decision. It is what it is and we move on.
“I did the best I could. If I could have done any more then I would have done. And that’s it.”
Fury claimed in one clip shared by TNT that he was never going to get a decision. He said: “I was robbed there, f*** them. You’re not getting nothing in these countries.”
Warren added: “I’m dumbfounded at how they scored it. His jabbing was superb, his footwork was superb, he wasn’t slow. He was very evasive.”
It extended 37-year-old Usyk’s unblemished record to 23 victories, strengthening claims he is the best of his generation.
Of Warren’s criticism, Usyk said: “Uncle Frank, I think he is blind. If Tyson says it is a Christmas gift then OK, thank you God — not Tyson.”
