WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury is still on the hunt for his next opponent.
Several potential targets have fallen through for one reason or another.
There were serious discussions for Fury to have an undisputed showdown with WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk. The fight fell apart after both sides were unable to agree on the financial terms for the contracted rematch.
Usyk is now scheduled to make a mandatory defense against Daniel Dubois in August.
Fury’s handlers approached former unfired champion Andy Ruiz but claim the ex-beltholder overpriced himself by demanding a purse of $20 million.
The next fighter on the agenda was Zhilei Zhang. That option fell through when Joe Joyce decided to pursue his revenge mission against Zhang, by exercising his right to a contracted immediate rematch.
Then, Fury’s handlers approached former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua for a September showdown at Wembley Stadium.
Joshua has other plans, with a potential fight in August that he wants to follow with a long-awaited showdown with former WBC king Deontay Wilder in December.
Hearn, who promotes Joshua, is ready and willing to offer Fury another option – undefeated contender Filip Hrgovic, who currently stands as the IBF’s mandatory challenger.
“Say you’re playing matchmaker for Tyson Fury, and you look at the rankings. Imagine AJ fights Dillian Whyte then Wilder and Usyk fights Dubois. I’ll tell you if he wants, he can fight Filip Hrgovic,” Hearn told Boxing Social.
Hearn does not expect Fury to take the fight, because of Hrgovic’s punching power.
“Tyson Fury is smart, he doesn’t want a risky fight. Hrgovic is mandatory for the IBF, but Tyson will say, ‘I’m not fighting him, nobody’s heard of Hrgovic! But there will always be a line,” Hearn said.
Fury has been out of the ring since December, when he battered and stopped Derek Chisora in their trilogy fight.