Boxing

Fury revealed before stepping into the ring with Dillian Whyte last month that the all-British fight at Wembley would be the last of his career.

The unbeaten 33-year-old maintained his boxing career is over after knocking Whyte out in the sixth round.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman stated that the governing body would be contacting Fury to find out whether he had definitely quit.

"The WBC will be communicating with Tyson Fury and his promoters about his future plans in the coming week," Sulaiman told Sky Sports.

"We are ready to support him on whatever he decides. If he decides to retire, the WBC will fully support him."

Englishman Fury on Friday reiterated that he had not changed his mind.

"I am very, very happy and contented to be retired. It's been a long time coming and I am so much enjoying my retirement." he posted in a video on social media.

A deal is in place for the pair to fight twice, though a location is yet to be disclosed, with Joshua describing Wembley as "ideal".

Fury, nicknamed the Gypsy King, is the WBC champion after dethroning Deontay Wilder last year and is full of confidence ahead of what is primed to be a spectacular double-header.

"I can't wait to get the big dosser in the ring and give him a good hiding," he said on Hearn's podcast, No Passion No Point.

"Prove to the world what a fake he is and that there's only one dominant heavyweight champion – the Gypsy King.

"Undefeated, indestructible, unbeatable – never will lose a fight in the history of this sport, ever. I will retire with the crown."

Asked by Hearn if he thought this would be "an easy fight," Fury replied: "100 per cent, I cannot be beat by a fighter.

"A normal fighting man cannot beat the Gypsy King. The only person that can beat the Gypsy King is me.

"AJ couldn't lace my boots, definitely not."

Hearn declared his belief that Joshua would prevail and Fury credited him with turning the Briton into a "superstar boxer", but said defeat was inevitable for the 31-year-old.

"Your boy, you've built him up from scratch, you've done an absolutely fantastic job by the way, congratulations to you and your team," Fury said.

"You took an amateur boxer and made him into a superstar boxer and the finished article.

"It's just a shame that he has to be in the same era as the Gypsy King."

And Fury even went as far as to describe exactly how he would get the job done.

"When I say I will smash him to pieces and it won't be a tough fight, like I said I was gonna knock Wilder out and I did, I'm gonna say it here again – I will cut Anthony Joshua down like a hot knife through cheese," he said.

"That's how easy it's gonna be. When he gets cracked with all them muscles right in the jaw, he will go.

"I will tell you even what punch it's gonna be, I'll even give my game plan away.

"It'll be a check left hook straight to the temple. His legs will go and he'll fall on his face.

"He may get back up and then I'll knock him out with the overhand right, goodnight."

WBC champion Fury is eager to return to the ring by early 2022 following victory over Deontay Wilder in the trilogy fight between the pair in October.

But his opponent remains unclear as uncertainty lingers whether he will face Dillian Whyte, who wants to be sanctioned as the mandatory challenger for the heavyweight title.

Fury also has his eyes on a bout against Oleksandr Usyk, who claimed the WBA, WBO and IBF titles from Anthony Joshua in September.

Usyk and Joshua are set to meet again in the early months of 2022, though the latter could drop out to allow the undisputed fight and Briggs believes Fury needs to face top contenders to cement his legacy.

"I think he'll make the decision to stick around and fight guys," Briggs, who was a two-time heavyweight champion, told Stats Perform. 

"He's not very old, although he's accomplished a lot. He's had gaps in his career between lay-offs due to whatever circumstances he was dealing with. It hasn't been consistent. 

"I think that for us to cement his greatness, we need to see consistency. I think we need to see at least three to six wins from the guys in the top 10. 

"Clear out the top 10, clear out the heavyweight division, and then maybe we can say he's the greatest heavyweight of all time, due to size, due to his ability to move, his rhythm. For a big man, it's just unreal. 

"His heart, his chin – he got off the ground against one of the hardest punchers that ever lived in [Deontay] Wilder."

The undefeated Fury has 31 wins to his name, with the only blotch on his record a contentious split-decision draw against Wilder in their first clash.

Briggs appreciates the talent of 'The Gypsy King', who he implored to become more consistent to further his standing within boxing's history.

"He's shown us flashes of greatness, but we need to see one last thing," he added. 

"What makes a champion is consistency, so we need six to 10 Larry Holmes style wins, Lennox Lewis style wins, staying busy. Lennox was a busy fighter. Lennox defended his title, he fought a lot.

"We need three, four fights a year consistently for the next two years if not more. I think he's a great guy and a great fighter, but I just think we need to see consistency and consecutive wins."

The two heavyweight champions have been exchanging barbs on social media in the push to secure a fight, which would see the crowning of first unified champion in the heavyweight division since 2000.

While it is widely reported that talks are progressing and terms are agreed, the fight is still yet to be officially announced – despite Fury saying publicly he wants to return to the ring next month.

That would result in a quick turnaround for the 34-year-old, who last fought in April 2022 against Dillian Whyte, but Steward is confident in the abilities of the Gypsy King.

"If that's what they agree on and that's what he wants to do, if he feels he can get ready for April 29 and fight Usyk then he'll just have to train extra hard for that," he told Sky Sports.

"It's a short bit of time, but I believe Tyson has the ability and the physical attributes to handle the situation."

Should the bout go ahead, Fury's plan, as always, will be to go for the knockout, Steward added: "The game plan is always a knockout.

"It's setting it up, using certain punches, certain movements to make your opponent move into that knockout punch.

"Good jabs set up knockouts. Every fight is adjustments and watching what your opponent does and making adjustments.

"It's not just one game plan ever. It's seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13. We're only doing 12 rounds, but you've got an extra one in the bag always."

Fury has made several U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and has been widely touted to be Usyk's next opponent following his split-decision win over Joshua in Jeddah last month.

But the Ukrainian is reportedly ready to wait until 2023 for his next bout, leading Fury to vow he would "wait around for nobody" on Sunday.

Fury, who has 32 wins and one draw from his 33 professional fights, promised to announce a new opponent within the next few days, and the 34-year-old appears to have his sights set on Joshua.

"Tyson Fury here, aka the Gypsy King, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, as you can tell," Fury said in a video posted to Instagram, wearing his belts.

"I think you've all heard that I'm going to be fighting soon, within the next few months, and I think that before I announce an opponent, I need to do this, just in case.

"Anthony Joshua, I know you've just lost a fight to Usyk and you're beltless at the moment, and I'd like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world in the next few months.

"You're coming off a 12-round fight, so you're match-fit, you're ready.

"I'm giving you a few months notice, if you're interested I'll send you the date over and we can have a rumble, a battle of Britain for the WBC championship.

"Let me know if you're interested. If not, I will select another opponent. Thank you very much, and good night."

A bout between Fury and Joshua has been rumoured for several years. Should it be arranged, it would represent a huge chance at redemption for Joshua, who had lost three of his last five fights after winning each of his first 22.

WBC champion Fury (31-0-1) and WBC interim holder Whyte (28-2) are on track to meet in the ring next year after the World Boxing Council forced negotiations for the mandatory bout on Tuesday.

Whyte moved in line for the fight after the 30-day period granted by the WBC for Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk to arrange an undisputed showdown passed without negotiations.

"Fury has been mandated to fight me twice. He asked for the WBC 'Diamond' belt to fight me, but ran away when they agreed. He just keeps making excuses," Whyte told Sky Sports last month.

"Hopefully now he's got no choice. What's he going to do? Throw the belt in the bin and run away from more money than he got to fight [Deontay] Wilder?

"Obviously he says he's a fighting man and a man of his word, but we all know he talks a lot of s***, so let's see. He said he was going to fight me after he beat Wilder, then he ran away. Let's see what he does."

Fury defended his belt with a devastating 11th-round knockout of Deontay Wilder in October.

British star Fury stayed undefeated thanks to his 11th-round KO against Wilder in their blockbuster trilogy in Las Vegas.

In an all-time epic bout, Fury was dropped twice but got the better of Wilder (42-2-1), who showed incredible courage to make it to the penultimate round having appeared out on his feet.

Fellow Brit Whyte avenged his loss to Alexander Povetkin with a fourth-round TKO in March earlier this year, reclaim the WBC interim title.

The 33-year-old has scored wins over Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora in his career, while he lost to Anthony Joshua via TKO in 2015.

Fury announced on his Twitter page at the weekend that the showdown with Joshua is "100 per cent on" for August 14 in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua's IBF, WBA and WBO titles and Fury's WBC belt are all set to be on the line in the long-awaited clash.

Mocking himself up as "Tyson of Arabia", in reference to the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, Fury posted on Monday: "Time to take back what I never lost.

"Every belt there [sic] all mine chump!"

However, the Daily Star reported a potential complication as it claimed Deontay Wilder, beaten by Fury last February following a controversial initial draw, had won his claim for a trilogy fight.

Rather than pay a sum to the American for him to step aside as Fury instead fought Joshua, the WBC champion would have to defend his title against Wilder by September 15.

Fury is undefeated after 31 career fights, with that draw with Wilder the only minor blemish on his 30-0-1 record.

Fury and Wilder will finally face off again at MGM Grand on February 22 in their highly anticipated rematch, having drawn their first fight in December 2018.

Unsurprisingly, the Brit (29-0-1) believes he will be successful, predicting a second-round KO of Wilder.

"Deontay knows he was rocked three or four times in the last fight and I didn't have the gas to finish him. This time I can turn that screwdriver until he is gone," he told a news conference on Monday.

"You are going to sleep in two rounds. I keep having the same dream about round two. I am playing poker and I get dealt the number two card.

"He is getting knocked out in round two, 100 per cent."

Wilder, the WBC heavyweight title holder, responded by questioning whether Fury truly believed in his own comments.

"I mean that's what he believes in his heart. That's what he believes. I always teach people when I speak – I say speak it, believe it, receive it," the American said.

"But the magic of it all is the belief, it's the belief. And though he's saying it, I don't feel that in his energy that he believes that he's going to do that.

"If anything I feel that he's nervous, he's very scared because of what happened the first time and I understand. This is boxing and sometimes fighters have to put up this front like it's all good and nothing gets to them or nothing hurts them or we're always acting tough and stuff because of the sport that we're in, but I'm a realist.

"He knows what happened. What you get knocked out like that and you don't know how you got there or how you got up, it was the grace of God. That bothers you. That not only affects you, but it affects your environment, it affects your family as well because they know you're going in there again with this monster and you know what he's capable of doing.

"It's not an act, it's something I do every time I'm out, I knock guys out, every guy that I've faced I've put him down and it won't be no different this time around either."

The two heavyweights will go toe-to-toe at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Fury's WBC belt on the line, after the Gypsy King was unable to secure an agreement to fight either Usyk or Joshua.

That led to disappointment among fans, with the initial reception for a trilogy bout against Chisora not a positive one, but Fury always intended to fight before the end of the year and says his opponent has "balls" which others in the division lack.

"You've got the so-called guys in the division, the 'top guys', we offer them fights but there's no smoke. You offer it to Chisora, boom, he's sat here opposite me," Fury said in Thursday's press conference.

"The man has got balls. In today's society, in this boxing game, there's a lack of balls. You know who you are, these people who don't want smoke.

"With Chisora, he does what it says on the tin, he goes to war. We're going to get a war. I did outbox him comfortably the second time, but his style has changed and so has mine.

"When you've got two heavy forces colliding with two heavy bombs, someone is getting knocked out. If he lands a big punch on me, I'm getting knocked out. If I land a big swing on him, he's getting knocked out.

"The fans are going to win, 100 per cent. I promised Chisora for years that we would have a third fight. We're going to put on a hell of a fight."

Promoter Frank Warren has outlined Fury's future in the ring beyond the trilogy bout against Chisora, with a proposed unification bout against Usyk still planned for the first quarter of next year.

"If Tyson comes through December 3, he's going to fight Oleksandr Usyk and after that he may wind up fighting Joe Joyce," Warren told TalkSport.

Fury had wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk in a title unification bout but the latter does not want to compete again until 2023, and Fury intends to fight before the end of the year.

That led to the Gypsy King going public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushes to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declared his fighter had accepted a proposed deal for a bout with Fury on Wednesday, with a 60-40 split in favour of Fury.

Fury also said on Wednesday his team had secured provisional dates for Wembley and Cardiff, with Hearn suggesting December 17 as a good option for the bout.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, Fury's US promoter Bob Arum raised doubts about the sincerity of Joshua's camp in wanting the fight.

"I really don't think Joshua's people are anxious to make the fight now," Arum said. "Because he's come through a devastating loss and I think, conventionally, Joshua is going to want a couple of soft touches to get back in the swing of things.

"Our guy, Tyson Fury, wants to fight this year. I tried to see if we could get Usyk this year and apparently they don't want to do it until February.

"We're going to try to get an opponent for Tyson Fury – Joshua or somebody else – and make sure he gets in the ring this year.

"Eddie Hearn is just talking. Eddie Hearn, if he wanted to make the fight, he knows me well enough and knows I'm over here – he knows the Warrens. We haven't really heard from Eddie Hearn; he's really good at making statements to the press and television, but he's not – I don't think – anxious to make this fight."

Joshua is coming off a second defeat to Usyk, losing on split decision to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month, and Arum believes the Brit would not want to take on Fury at this time.

"I've been in boxing a long time and the fact that Eddie and Joshua would want this fight is, to me, incomprehensible. It makes no sense," he added.

"If I'm wrong and they decide they want it, they know where to find us and call, and stop talking to the press and talk to us and see if we can put it together."

The two British boxers appear on course to finally face each other after Joshua was victorious over Kubrat Pulev in December, stopping the Bulgarian in the ninth round of their bout at Wembley Arena. 

Both sides agreed in principle to a two-fight deal for 2021, though details over a date and venue for an initial bout are still being discussed.

After seeing off Pulev, IBF, WBA and WBO champion Joshua vowed to beat Fury when they finally go toe to toe, insisting he will take his "head off his shoulders" in the long-awaited showdown. 

However, in an interview with Fox Miami, the holder of the WBC title questioned Joshua's ability to back up his words. 

 "I don't think he's as good as people crack him up to be, or he doesn't believe he is, his own self. He's got a confidence issue," Fury said. 

"The fight has been brewing for a long time. They've been avoiding me for a long time. Now it's finally got to happen. 

"I've never seen him take anybody's head off anybody's shoulders in all of his 22 fights. It's probably a lie, another lie. We'll see if he's got the guts to try and do it." 

Fury had hoped to get in a bout before the end of 2020 - a year in which the boxing schedule was badly hampered due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic - only to shelve that plan.

The 32-year-old has not fought since February of last year, when he sensationally stopped the previously unbeaten Deontay Wilder in their rematch in Las Vegas.

The duo's teams are in discussions for an undisputed clash, and negotiations seemed to be nearing a conclusion earlier this week.

Fury's promoter Frank Warren revealed both camps were looking to set a date and venue for the bout, while Usyk himself said both men "need this fight".

But Krassyuk has now claimed Fury's camp have turned down an increased offer for a 60-40 split favouring the fight's winner, having also reportedly pushed against an even 50-50 purse.

"Frank Warren said he's got a pot and he needs to get the agreement of both parties to participate," Krassyuk told talkSPORT.

"If the money in the pot is not enough, it won't happen. I completely agree with it. On our side, I have nothing more to add.

"We have said that we want this fight to happen as much as possible, and we are in the position to share whatever the fight generates.

"But boxing is a sport of two men and if only Usyk gets into the ring, there won't be a match for undisputed. It will be shadowboxing of the unified champion.

"We initially agreed for 50-50. But then Tyson was asking for some bigger money. We made it clear that we are ready to go 60-40, but the winner takes 60.

"That was our latest offer [but Fury turned it down], exactly."

Warren previously indicated there would be no negotiations beyond the end of this week, with both parties reportedly eyeing up an April 29 bout at Wembley Stadium.

"We're still none the wiser, we're still waiting for it to be done," Warren said. "It's all coming to a head now, but it's still not done.

"You need the agreement of both boxers to make it happen and at the moment we haven't got that, so that's where we're at.

"We're working hard to make it happen. But I would say it's not going to go past the end of this week because the proposed date is April 29."

Fury has persistently claimed his April win over Dillian Whyte, which saw him retain the WBC heavyweight title with a sixth-round technical knockout, would be his last.

However, he would have the opportunity to become the undisputed heavyweight champion were he to fight the victor of Usyk and Joshua's reunion. Usyk beat Joshua by unanimous decision last September to win the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Joshua has reportedly signed the contract to fight Usyk in Saudi Arabia in August.

Reports have suggested Fury is in discussions to meet the winner, but he was quick to deny such claims on social media.

Responding to a tweet referencing that speculation, Fury posted: "This is all news to me! Biggest load of rubbish ever!"

In a brutal slugfest in Las Vegas, unbeaten British star Fury dropped American challenger Wilder in the 11th round to successfully defend his belt on Saturday.

Fury (31-0-1) and Wilder (42-2-1) went toe-to-toe throughout the heavyweight showdown, though the latter was out on his feet and it appeared a matter of time before the 'Gypsy King' scored the telling blow.

After a contentious split-decision draw in the first meeting back in December 2018, the rematch saw Fury take the judges out of the equation with a dominant performance, forcing a seventh-round stoppage that not only saw Wilder lose the WBC title but also his unbeaten record as a professional.

The trilogy was not seemingly on the cards — or at least not this soon — until the outcome of an arbitration hearing, a judge ruling the reigning champion was contractually obliged to face his former foe again, ending the possibility of a unification showdown with Anthony Joshua.

In front of a star-studded crowd, Wilder made a bright start, though Fury moved around well and managed to land a strike to the head in an exchange before the end of the opening round.

Both men continued to go for some big shots as the referee repeatedly shouted to keep it clean, with clinching aplenty.

Fury scored a knockdown in the third round after sending Wilder to the canvas with a big shot to the head and the latter – on the ropes amid a flurry of big punches – barely made it to the bell.

Wilder appeared to seize the momentum in an incredible fourth round, with the slugfest moving in his favour having dropped Fury twice in a concerning sequence for the champion.

Neither fighter took a backward step in a stunning showdown between two powerful hitters – Fury landed a blow to Wilder's head late in the sixth round and continued where he left off in the seventh.

Wilder, who spent most of the fight on the ropes, looked out on his feet during the latter stages of the seventh after absorbing another brutal strike to the head as Fury sniffed blood.

Having somehow survived, Wilder was floored in the 10th and was on the receiving end of an uppercut during the final stages and while he ended the round swinging, he was finally stopped in the 11th.

Fury has been tipped to face Usyk since he overcame Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout last month, with the Ukrainian defending his WBA-Super heavyweight, IBF and WBO belts against Anthony Joshua in August last year.

Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren said a draft contract for the fight had been sent to Usyk's team earlier this month, with a March date provisionally pencilled in.

On Saturday, the WBC heavyweight champion was in attendance for Chris Eubank Jr's bout with Liam Smith in Manchester, where he offered an encouraging update on the talks with Usyk's camp.

Asked by Sky Sports when he would be returning to the ring, Fury said: "Hopefully quite soon. I don't know when, but it's imminent.

"Hopefully we see it in the next few months or whatever. I am ready to rock and roll as always. I am looking forward to the challenge.

"You would have to ask all the promoters and lawyers about how far away we are and all of that. 

"Like I always say time and time again, we are never in the ring until we are in the ring, and nothing is ever on until you see me walk into that ring.

"You never know, and saying you want to fight somebody and actually doing it is very different. We have seen these big fights not happen in the past many, many times.

"Usyk seems to be up for it and I can't do any more. I just do what I do and hopefully we get the thing all sorted out."

In the third meeting of the heavyweight rivals, Fury dropped his opponent in the third but was then down himself twice in the next round, the tables suddenly turned as the pair went toe to toe.

However, the Briton came on strong in the second half of the contest. After scoring a further knockdown in the previous round, he finished the job in the 11th thanks to a chopping right hand that finally ended Wilder's brave resistance.

"It was a great fight. Rarely do we see heavyweight trilogies. I think the last one was Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield, and those fights didn't disappoint," Fury said at his post-fight media duties.

"The saga with Wilder is done now. Done for good. It was definitely a historic trilogy, for sure.

"It swung both ways and both fighters had the opportunity to seize the moment, it was just that I showed the initiative, dug deeper and wanted it more.

"At the end of the day, when it comes down to that sort of fight, it's about who is willing to push further. I wasn't willing for it to go to the scorecards; I was definitely trying for a knockout.

"Wilder is a very tough guy and he's got heart, heart to keep going. He took a lot of punishment, and that puts a lot of mileage on the clock. So did I, I took a lot of punishment as well, some good shots, got put over but then got back up.

"It was just a great fight, all in all. You have to take your hat off to Wilder and his team: he put up a good fight. That's what I'm here for, I wasn't here to blow someone over in one round.

 "I've travelled the world for so many years to find challenges – he gave me a real worthy challenge tonight."

With another meeting with Wilder seemingly unlikely, Fury could instead target Oleksandr Usyk, the holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO titles after his shock triumph over Anthony Joshua, who has triggered a clause for a rematch with the Ukrainian.

For Fury, however, the immediate focus is celebrating his latest success.

When asked about a potential fight with Usyk, Fury replied: "We will see. I've just earned a well-earned break.

"I've been away from my family for six months in total. I've been home for two weeks in the last six months, so before I start thinking about fighting other men, I'm going to bask in this victory.

"This was one of my greatest wins. I got off the floor to do it. I'm the big dog in the division, probably one of the heaviest heavyweight champions in history: 277 pounds. I was fit, I was strong in there and felt good.

"We will just see what today and tomorrow brings."

On his plans, he added: "I'm going to go out, have a couple of drinks and relax.

"I'm not even thinking about boxing, I'm going to go out and bask in this glory. Last time, after the second fight, I just went back, went to bed, got up the next day and flew home. This has been a well-deserved victory, and I'm just going to enjoy it."

Meeting for their trilogy bout eight years after their last fight, Fury remained in control throughout, and it was only a matter of time until the end was called.

The referee called the fight in the 10th round for, although not a stunning victory, a win that again reiterated Fury's requirement for a different calibre of opponent to be truly tested.

With Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce sat ringside, that could be right around the corner in 2023.

Fury and Chisora both promised to be aggressive and push for the knockout immediately from the first bell and were true to their word in the opening round, Chisora landing body shots and more connections than Fury, who had the more powerful swings.

Those strikes from Fury became more aggressive in the second round with a dominant flurry of strong hits, Chisora taking a lot of punishment in the corner, with the onslaught continuing into the third with a series of uppercuts from the champion.

A slower tempo of rounds followed, with Chisora running out of steam, and Fury using his height and weight advantage to lean on his opponent and tire his legs, putting Chisora on the ropes in the eighth as he increased the pressure.

Chisora was showing visible signs of damage at the end of the ninth, with swelling under his right eye, and Fury remained in control as the referee observed closely, looking for one more combination to call the fight, which came in the closing stages of the 10th to complete a routine evening for the Gypsy King.

Fury and Wilder faced off at a news conference just days out from their rematch at the MGM Grand, and they shoved each other before being separated.

The Brit, who drew with Wilder in their previous bout in December 2018, believes the American is showing signs of nerves.

"Wilder is very nervous. I can see his jumper going in and out from the big heart beat pounding out of his chest," Fury said.

"He's terrified. He's nervous as hell. He doesn't know what to expect, and he's getting knocked out."

Wilder laughed off Fury's suggestion ahead of Saturday's showdown, where he will defend his WBC title.

The 34-year-old said: "When I knock you out, go do stand-up comedy. You've got a career there.

"You've got pillows for fists and that's why I kept running through you."

Fury U-turned on a decision to retire following April's win over Dillian Whyte and appeared set to meet Joshua after offering him the chance for a WBC heavyweight championship fight last month.

Warren said that fight was "90 per cent" finalised in mid-September, but talks have since broken down, with Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declaring he would not "play a game" with Fury last week.

With Oleksandr Usyk prepared to wait until 2023 for his next fight, Fury now appears set for a trilogy bout with Chisora, whom he defeated in July 2011 and November 2014.

Asked about the breakdown in talks with Joshua's camp, Warren told iFL TV: "Obviously that caused a big problem, it went on for three or four weeks and we've been struggling to get an opponent. 

"We've got the highest-ranked opponent now, which is Derek Chisora. That's where we'll be going and that will be on December 3.

"What it's all about is, Tyson will have had one fight in one year, and we were expecting the fight in December would be Usyk, but Usyk wasn't available.

"Now that looks like – I hope – going on at some time in February, so Tyson wants a fight before then and wants to get out, that's where we're at. If he fights Chisora and comes through that, then he's got the big one.

"Tyson's head and shoulders above them all anyway. Derek might give him more of a fight than Anthony Joshua – I'm not being disrespectful, I just think he [AJ] is more vulnerable."

While the fight is yet to be formally agreed, Fury has long desired another meeting with Chisora, saying in August: "I'd always said I'd fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career, and here we are, breaking all records again, setting precedents."

WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua last month after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

After weeks of talks between the fighters' camps, however, Fury said on Monday any chance of the pair meeting was "officially over" after his self-imposed deadline was not met.

But Fury set Joshua, who has lost three of his past five fights, a new deadline in his latest video message on social media that was directed at the two-time world champion.

"My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry [Warren's company] carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing you were never going to do this fight," Fury said.

"So the deadline was Monday. I allowed Frank to continue doing meetings with your team and your broadcasters and all that."

Fury said the broadcasters were "all on the same page".

"They are happy with everything, they are all ready to rock and roll," he added.

"You guys ask for a lot of stuff. You want to be co-promoters when you're a voluntary challenger. Guess what, I said give it them, let them be co-promoters.

"You wanted full transparency, even though you're not an equal shareholder in this party. You know what I said? Give them full transparency, I've got nothing to hide.

"I'm not trying to rob anybody, I've not robbed anybody of a penny in my life. Now you've got full transparency, everything is clean and fair. Joshua, the ball is really in your court."

Fury revealed earlier this month that he has offered Joshua a 60-40 purse split in a bid to get the heavyweight title fight made after years of build-up.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.

That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight, which had been set to be held in Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

"Everybody is done," Fury added in his Twitter post. "If you're a man, and if you've got any sort of dignity and pride about you, you'll get this contract signed today. This is it.

"There is no more days, weeks, months, you've had the contract now for over two weeks and you still haven't signed it.

"Show the public that you're really the big coward that I know you are, and don't sign it. I don't care either way if you sign it or you don't, it makes no difference to me at all.

"You're a beaten man and I'm a world champion. I'm chucking you a massive bone, but I know I can punch a face in so I'm willing to give you an opportunity.

"There's nothing more to do, everyone is happy. Get your team onto mine, they will be available all day, like they've been available the last two weeks. Get this contract signed!

"Let the British fans have what they want. There is no running, you have to fight me. You cannot escape. The Fury is coming."