Usyk Wants To Fight Fury Despite Losing His Chance To Hold WBC

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. (Photo: Instagram.com/@usykaa)

JAKARTA Oleksandr Usyk insists he wants to fight Tyson Fury in a fight that will be remembered by many even though he missed the opportunity to get a WBC title.

Usyk, who is the heavyweight champion of WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF, previously withdrew from long negotiations over the title unification battle of all heavyweight divisions against Fury at Wembley earlier this year due to disagreements over the terms of the rematch clause.

"I don't think at all about the WBC title. I just need to meet him [Tyson Fury] in the ring. We have to fight. People talk about this fight for 20, 30, 40 years. So, we have to duel," Usyk said as quoted by Boxing Scene.

After negotiations with Fury failed, Usyk is now confirmed to be battling mandatory challenger WBA Daniel Dubois in Poland next month. Meanwhile, Fury will face MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

This means Usyk won't get the chance to add a WBC title this year. However, he insisted that his desire to fight Fury had nothing to do with being the undisputed heavyweight world champion.

"I don't even care about the belt anymore. I need a duel with Fury. The WBC title is just a little bit of additional motivation. People and fans just need to see us fight," said Usyk.

Usyk will be the seed at WroClaw on August 26. However, Dubois promoter Frank Warren believes that his London client will make one of the biggest surprises in the division's history by scoring a KO over the Ukrainian icon.

"Dubois is young and good, he is a prospect. However, Frank Warren is a promoter so he has to talk a lot," Usyk said.

Despite being seeded, Usyk refused to compare Dubois with Anthony Joshua, who he has beaten twice.

"Joshua is an Olympic champion and a two-time world champion. But I just need to prepare myself to face Dubois, I don't have to compare opponents," said Usyk.