Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other in early 2023 without either man taking any bouts in the interim, according to promoter Bob Arum.

There has been plenty of talk of a unification battle between WBC heavyweight champion Fury and Usyk – holder of the WBA-Super, IBF, WBO and IBO belts – since the latter beat Anthony Joshua for a second time in August.

Having made a U-turn on his decision to retire earlier this year, Fury beat Derek Chisora in a trilogy fight this month.

Plans for the 'Gypsy King' to meet Usyk next appeared to have been jeopardised when the Ukrainian was ordered to defend his WBA belt against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

Frank Warren – who represents both Fury and Dubois – has insisted the huge unification bout will take place first and Arum claims there should not be long to wait for that fight.

"The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next," Arum told Sky Sports.

"With Fury and Usyk we're dealing with two adults, not a lot of back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he's very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.

"So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there'll be very little, if any, messing around. We'll be able to make that happen. I'm very, very confident. 

"As I said, the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights. We'll have it all sorted out, I hope maybe by the end of the year."

Arum remains uncertain over the likely venue for the fight, though he described the prospect of being held at Wembley as "wonderful".

"Now the question is what's the date, and what's the site?" Arum said. "But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

"We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Middle East, and also there's the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.

"Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important, so if the money which has been proposed to us is real, that has to be taken into consideration.

"To go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood. It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful."

Anthony Joshua's camp are in discussions regarding a bout against Otto Wallin, the Swedish fighter's promoter has said.

Joshua seen his stock in the heavyweight division take a significant dip following back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, leaving the Brit with only two wins from his past five bouts.

However, Joshua continues to be linked with top-tier opponents, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder among them, but taking on Wallin is set to be his next challenge.

Dmitriy Salita, who represents Wallin, believes the correct approach would be for Joshua to face his client, with the winner then going on to face either Fury - who is expected to meet in Usyk in an undisputed fight.

"I had discussions with Eddie [Hearn] about Otto for a significant amount of time and as late as last week," he told the Sun.

"From what I understand it's really up to AJ. I believe he wants to place himself back in the heavyweight picture.

"Both Otto and AJ want a shot at Fury. By the numbers Otto landed more punches on Fury then anyone else ever.

"I believe the winner of that fight will have legitimate claim to challenge Fury probably after his fight with Oleksandr Usyk."

A bout with Dillian Whyte has been touted as the next test for Joshua but that proposal has been slammed by Salita.

Salita.would instead prefer the Brit to face a rematch with Jermaine Franklin after a majority decision for Whyte at Wembley last month.

"Whyte is 1-2 and in reality 1-3 in his last four fights. A fight with Joshua would be something like Roy Jones vs Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, big names but not much behind it at this point," he added.

"Even if it's not against Jermaine, Whyte needs an impressive showing against someone credible to show that he still got the skills to pay the bills at an elite heavyweight level.

"He had four wins after that including Dominic Breazeale and Travis Kauffman, both credible at time of his victory. Otto is number three in the WBO and is a bona fide top heavyweight in the world.

"There have been lots of big names thrown around with Joshua including Tyson and Wilder. How serious that is will depend on who he fights next."

Tyson Fury says he is "terrified" of hanging up his boxing gloves ahead of a trilogy fight with Derek Chisora

The WBC heavyweight champion will take part in his final bout of the year against his fellow Brit at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, with a potential unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk to come.

Unbeaten Englishman Fury has stated on several occasions that he had retired, only to unsurprisingly resume his illustrious career.

The 34-year-old cannot even bear to think about retirement as he prepares to try and defend his title once again.

"I'm terrified of it," he stated. "Hard is an understatement. I can't think of the most complex word to describe giving this up. It's more addictive than anything on the planet.

"I think going one-on-one with another highly trained athlete, you've got all the crowd there, the electricity of everything.

"While I'm not doing that, I'm just mundane. But as soon as I know I've got a fight coming up, boom, my eyes glow up. I feel a feeling inside of me bubbling [like] a pot that's on the simmer, boiling away. I just cannot wait to fight.

"It's really the competition that's the addictive thing, it's not the training. I used to think it was the training, but it's not because I was training every day [and] I wasn't happy.

"So it's definitely the boxing side of it. I believe when God's ready for me to move on and get out of boxing, I'll be shown a way out. And whatever I do next will be double as big as what I'm doing now.

"I'm just motivated by staying alive and keeping happy and healthy. This is what makes me happy and healthy - boxing - so that's why we're here."

Tyson Fury has been urged to show he is "brave enough" to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a fight that could end all arguments over who is the greatest heavyweight of their generation.

For now, Fury's focus is on putting his WBC belt on the line against Derek Chisora on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, Usyk is eager to tackle the Briton and that fight could happen in the new year, if all parties can come to an agreement.

According to the 35-year-old Ukrainian's agent, Usyk would jump at the opportunity. Usyk, himself, has expressed similar sentiment, and Fury's next step after the Chisora fight, should he win that one, will be keenly watched.

Fury has described the prospect of facing Usyk in 2023 as "unlikely", suggesting he could instead undertake a world tour of one fight per month, in what he has labelled a "bum-a-month campaign".

Yet Fury's words and his actions do not always match up, so the right proposal might still tempt him to fight Usyk, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.

Indeed, Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum this week suggested an agreement for a showdown against Usyk could be made "speedily". 

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk told Sky Sports: "Usyk, he's the kind of person who went through some big challenges in his life. He's not afraid of anything. He's seeking challenges himself.

"He has become the undisputed at cruiserweight. Before that he became Olympic champion, that was the challenge for him. Before that he became world champion in the amateurs, European champion, so he was overcoming step by step.

"Now he is one step to becoming the undisputed in the heavyweight division. So he can't miss this chance. He's not ducking anyone. Once you know in detail his biography you would hardly believe he could duck anything in his life."

A fight between Fury and Usyk could be a defining contest in the career of both men.

Krassyuk added: "We all hope [Fury] is brave enough to take this challenge, to accept the challenge of fighting a small 'middleweight' rabbit from Ukraine who's going to take his green belt away."

Tyson Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum is confident an agreement for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk can be made "speedily" if the Gypsy King can see off Derek Chisora.

The WBC heavyweight championship will be on the line in Saturday's meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the two Brits locking horns in a trilogy bout.

Few had this fight top of their wishlist, with fans instead keen for a unification bout against Usyk or a 'Battle of Britain' clash with Anthony Joshua.

However, a meeting with Usyk remains in the pipeline, Arum has said, though he has warned Chisora has the credentials to cause Fury problems.

"I don't see any reason why the Usyk fight with Tyson Fury can't be made speedily," he said.

"That fight will happen next unless Mr Chisora lands his punch. Don't discount Chisora. Chisora's a hell of a fighter. He has a tremendous punch.

"He gave Usyk life and death. You can't in this business count your chickens before they're hatched. Chisora will answer back. It's a great, great fight. It really has a lot of interest.

"Two big heavyweights getting in the ring trying to knock each other's head off. Nothing is more exciting."

Underdog Chisora is looking to make a statement with a knockout win against Fury and made it clear he will come out of the blocks flying with an aggressive approach in the opening rounds.

"On Saturday I'm going to go to war. There's no two ways about it. I want to take what's his and make it mine. Physically and mentally," he declared.

"I can guarantee you, you are going to love the whole show we are going to put up. It's not going to be stinker, it's going to be a great fight.

"We want to give you the best first round in the heavyweight game forever. We need the first round to be electric, so the place will be buzzing. "I'm prepared to do it. We shook on it."

Tyson Fury is considering becoming the new owner of Morecambe to throw "millions" at the League One club.

The WBC world heavyweight champion already has his ‘Gypsy King’ brand embroidered on the Shrimps' shorts.

After it was announced Fury will face Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a trilogy fight on December 3, the unbeaten 34-year-old revealed he is mulling over a takeover of the club in the seaside town where he lives.

He told talkSPORT on Thursday: "Quick question, I'm thinking about buying Morecambe Football Club, they're in League One at the moment.

"So I was thinking I invest X amount of millions in them."

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan replied: "By invest you mean throw it at them, invest is the wrong term."

Fury said: "Yeah, basically throw it at them and keep them going up. I've been offered to buy Morecambe Football Club.

"I own all the training facilities anyway and the training gym. So who knows? You might be looking at a football club owner."

Jordan asked Fury: "You know how to make a small fortune in football?”

The world champion responded: "Start off with a bigger one! It's the same as being a boxing promoter."

Tyson Fury will fight Derek Chisora for a third time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a proposed bout with Anthony Joshua fell through.

Talks over a fight between Fury and Joshua fell through, but there will be another all-British heavyweight battle in London.

WBC champion Fury will defend his title against Chisora, who he beat when they first met in 2011 and got the better of again almost eight years ago.

Fury intends to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a bid to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion in the first part of 2023, but next up will be Chisora.

The unbeaten 'Gypsy King' earned a unanimous decision when he fought Chisora for the first time and had his arms raised again after his fellow Englishman was retired by his corner at the end of the 10th round in their rematch at Wembley.

Fury, 34, insisted he had retired after stopping Dillian Whyte in April, but it was no surprise when he made a U-turn to resume his career.

Unbeaten in 33 fights, the 34-year-old will be a strong favourite to beat Chisora for a third time.

The 38-year-old Chisora stopped Kubrat Pulev in his last bout at the O2 Arena in London, taking his record to 33 victories and 12 defeats.

WBA world champion Daniel Dubois will make a first defence of his belt against South African southpaw Kevin Lerena on the undercard.

Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, said: "I am thrilled to be delivering a Tyson Fury world title defence in front of the British fans in London. Tyson clearly conquered America across his trilogy with Deontay Wilder and there is also huge demand to stage his fights from sites across the world.

"Tyson wanted to fight in his home country again this year following his special night at Wembley Stadium in April. This brings us to the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a match against an old rival in Derek Chisora.

"Derek, also a big favourite with British fans, has reinvented himself in recent years and Tyson has long stated his wish to fight him for a third time.

"Tyson can't afford any slip-up in this fight as he has the much-publicised undisputed match-up with Usyk in the new year which we're really looking forward to."

Deontay Wilder ended his return to the ring inside the first round with a swift knockout of Robert Helenius in Brooklyn and then claimed he had brought back "excitement in the heavyweight division".

The former WBC champion had not fought since back-to-back defeats to Tyson Fury, the second coming last October.

But after just over a year away, Wilder made light work of underdog opponent Helenius, who was knocked down by a trademark big right hand with seconds left in the opening round.

Wilder had outlined this week his desire to land "the number one fight in the world" against Anthony Joshua, but he was open-minded about his next task following the defeat of Helenius.

"I'm down for whatever," Wilder said. "Andy Ruiz, [Oleksandr] Usyk or whatever. Deontay Wilder is back. The excitement in the heavyweight division is back."

Wilder enjoyed himself on his return at Barclays Center, adding: "We wanted to make this fun again.

"You can do this so long it can be a job, just something you are doing. We made it fun. It paid off big time."

The defeat of Helenius, his former sparring partner, saw Wilder improve to 43-2-1 with 42 knockouts.

Eddie Hearn says there is "no chance" a contract for an all-British heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will be signed by Monday.

WBC champion Fury on Saturday warned Joshua he will "move on to fight someone else" if Joshua does not agree terms that have been offered at the start of next week.

December 3 has been pencilled in as a date for the English duo to do battle in what would be a mouth-watering and long-awaited bout.

Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says Fury must be patient as there is no way a deal will be struck so quickly.

He said on the Seconds Out YouTube channel: "There is no chance this fight will get signed by Monday. There is no need for this fight to get signed by Monday.

"If he doesn't [want to fight Joshua], and I guess he doesn't, then he'll do what he'll do and the fans might even fall for it."

Hearn this week stated the first offer from the Fury camp was not acceptable, but "positive conversations" had taken place between the two parties.

He revealed Fury will be fighting Joshua if he is realistic with his deadline.

"We have a meeting on Monday, with DAZN, with BT, with everybody, but it's going to take time," added Hearn. "If he wants to put a time frame on it of Monday then it’s clear to the whole public he doesn't want the fight.

"It's not going to get signed on Monday so if he's walking away on Monday the fight's off."

Tyson Fury claimed Anthony Joshua does not want to fight him as he unleashed a barrage of abuse on his fellow Brit.

Negotiations are ongoing over a mouthwatering world heavyweight title bout between WBC champion Fury and Joshua on December 3.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, stated this week that an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties are "working positively" to try and reach an agreement.

Fury on Friday made it clear he does not believe two-time world champion Joshua has any intention of stepping into the ring with him.

He stated in a video posted on social media: "He's had the contract for I don’t know how long and ain’t signing it. You little sausage, you do not want a fight.

"However, I will be fighting on December 3, if this sausage does not sign this contract, which I don't think he is because I don't think he’s got the b******s to."

The unbeaten Fury also took aim at WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, who stated his intention to "outbox" the Englishman if they meet in a unification fight.

Fury added: "Usyk, you little s***house, I'm afraid of you? I'll put my fist right through the side of you, you little sausage.

"Joshua is a s***house, Usyk a s***house. You are all s***houses."

Eddie Hearn says there is "a long way to go" before an agreement is reached for Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury but "positive conversations" have taken place.

Fury offered terms to Joshua's camp following his compatriot's second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last month, when the former Olympic champion failed to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO belts back from the Ukrainian.

A provisional December 3 date has been pencilled in for a blockbuster all-British bout and Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says progress has been made with talks after an initial offer from the Fury camp was turned down.

"It's not unusual to get a contract that you're not over the moon with - and it wasn't that they were playing games or anything like that," he told ID Boxing.

"It's just really down to the format of the agreement, which is being rectified and we're working positively to try and get that in the right shape and I think we're nearly there in terms of the format of that agreement.

"[The contract] wasn't really as we expected, but that was a few days ago and we've had some positive conversations. Reshaping that slightly, which seems to be positive.

"We've still got a long way to go. Obviously, the broadcasters have got to have their discussion. There's not a lot more to tell you other than both teams are doing everything they can to try and find a way to make it happen."

George Warren, the son of Joshua's UK promoter Frank Warren, hopes further progress can be made in talks this week.

He told Sky Sports: "We're still talking. Everything at the moment is very amicable.

"We're having fresh conversations this week. We're hoping that we're going to move forward. We're all working hard to make it happen.

"I'm not going to put a timeline on it. We need realistically to know what we're doing, what Tyson's doing. There's no ifs, buts or maybes, Tyson's fighting the end of this year.

"Timetable-wise, timescale-wise, for both fighters it looks like it could work. Everything's very amicable, everything's going okay so far and fingers crossed we get some good news for British fight fans very soon."

Anthony Joshua may have needed "two or three" more fights to prepare for Tyson Fury, but his trainer Robert Garcia acknowledged he could not turn down a "big fight".

Garcia joined Joshua's corner to work alongside co-trainer Angel Fernandez before the second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, who successfully defended his belts in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in August.

The split-decision victory for Usyk had led to expectations of a title unification bout with Fury – but it will be Joshua who faces his compatriot after seemingly accepting terms for a clash on December 3.

The WBC heavyweight title will be on the line after Fury refused to wait to meet Usyk next year, but Garcia would have preferred for the all-British fight to take place at a later date.

"Look, it's a huge fight, it's the biggest fight in the UK and it's a fight that actually needs to happen sooner rather than later," Garcia told iD Boxing.

"Would I prefer it to happen two, three fights from now? Yes, but it's a big fight and it's a big business.

"His management team is very smart when it comes to negotiations and the final decisions, so they'll make the right decision. Personally, I'm not a businessman, I'd rather him take two or three fights before anything huge.

"Anthony took the rematch with Usyk right away, when he could have easily taken two or three fights before that. He took it right away because he wants those challenges too.

"If this challenge is there and he wants to take it, he'll take it. He'll go out and train and we'll do our best job to go out there and win. The fight won't be easy but is it winnable? Yes, we could win that fight."

Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, while Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.

With a 'Battle of Britain' on the horizon, Garcia encouraged Joshua to take a trip to the United States for a training camp in a bid to boost his chances of dethroning Fury.

"I haven't talked to him [Joshua] about it [training in the USA], I talked to the management team," Garcia continued. "They all said they would like that, but at the end of the day, it's going to be his decision.

"I think he would do so much better, honestly, training around Jesse Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez and all the young talent that I have. It's not only that he's going to train with them, he's going to compete with them.

"They're going to train together, they're going to push each other and they all want to be better than the other. I think that would help a lot – I would love that."

Tyson Fury's long-awaited bout with Anthony Joshua is '90 per cent' finalised, according to promoter Frank Warren, who says "everybody wants it to happen".

Fury has made a series of U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and originally sought a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month.

However, the Ukrainian's reluctance to fight before the end of 2022 led Fury to offer Joshua the chance to face off for the WBC heavyweight belt.

On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 revealed the terms of the fight had been agreed last week, only for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to delay confirmation.

Warren, who handles Fury's fights, says there is still work to be done on the bout – which will seemingly take place on December 3 – but does not anticipate any issues.

"The contracts are on their way," Warren told talkSPORT on Wednesday. "I'm not going into great detail about this, because we saw what happened last time around with people making statements and so forth, and it all fell apart.

"This fight won't be on until it's signed, but everybody wants it to happen. 

"The basis of the deal, 90 per cent of what counts, is okay, 10 per cent we've got to sort out. There aren't any obstacles in the way, so hopefully very quickly we can get it over the line. 

"When you're a promoter, you're an optimist. That's what you do. You're in the business of trying to make events happen, so we're all excited by it. 

"I'm excited about it as a fight, because I always felt that Tyson has the beating of AJ, and now we're going to find out if we get this over the line."

While Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.

Anthony Joshua has been offered 40 per cent of the fight purse to take on Tyson Fury, who has said the ball is now in his would-be opponent's court.

A fight between heavyweights Fury and Joshua has long-been mooted.

Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch last month, failing to regain his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles from the Ukrainian.

Usyk seemed set to take on Fury for the WBC belt, yet instead it seems a clash between the Brits is more likely.

Fury wants to fight Joshua before 2022 is out, with the latter tweeting on Monday that he would be "ready in December".

On Tuesday, Fury revealed the details of the offer made to Joshua.

"I'm being bombared with messages on, 'How much am I gonna pay AJ?'", Fury said in a video shared on social media.

"Everyone's saying 80-20, 70-30, 75-25. The actual answer is: I've offered him 60-40; 40 per cent of this amazing fight, because I want this fight to happen.

"He doesn’t have any excuses now not to take it. He can't say I've low-balled him and offered him 20 per cent, 30 per cent.

"I've offered the people 40 per cent, take it or leave it. Let us know. Boom."

Fury subsequently tweeted: "He will never get a better offer. Straight WBC Boxing shot, the ball is in your court @anthonyjoshua."

Tyson Fury has set a one-week deadline for "suitors" to "come up with the money" to fight him.

Fury claimed before and after retaining his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April that the all-British fight would be the last of his career.

Yet talked has turned to a unification bout between the 34-year-old and WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk following the Ukrainian's second victory over Anthony Joshua on Saturday.

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said a fight with Fury is "in the making", while Fury's co-promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum are also confident of doing a deal.

Fury on Wednesday urged the interested parties to put their money where their mouth is.

He posted on Instagram and Twitter: "Hi guys, for all these suitors out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days, until the first of September, to come up with the money. If not, thank you vey much, it's been a blast, I'm retired."

Fury added in another video: "And also guys, forgot to say, all of them offers submitted, must be to my lawyer Robert Davies, in writing, with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!"

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman this week said Fury has until Friday to make it clear whether he intends to fight again.

Fury stated in June that he would want £500million to come out of retirement.