Tyson Fury has become a ‘victim’ in the pursuit of his next fight, according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Fury has not boxed since December, when he stopped Dereck Chisora in the 10th round of their clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
And, now halfway through 2023, the WBC heavyweight champion has no fight booked despite lengthy talks with WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk among other heavyweights.
Now Sulaiman has leapt to the defense of the 6ft 9in Gypsy King and insists his inactivity is a result of other fighters abusing the situation.
He also suggested that the hold up for Fury’s plan is down in some part to Deontay Wilder, the former WBC champion, and Andy Ruiz Jr, who were ordered to fight in a final eliminator but have as yet not done so.
Sulaiman said: “Fury is a victim of what the world is today. They have abused [the situation] and over-priced [themselves]. Nobody wants to fight Fury. He wants to fight everyone and he’s open to fighting everyone.
“So the WBC ordered Wilder to fight Ruiz in a final eliminator and therefore mandatory position. They have not fought; we ordered that seven months ago.
“While we were waiting, everyone thought Fury was going to fight Usyk in March. So we were confident, waiting and waiting and waiting but it didn’t happen. Now, nobody wants to fight him – they say they will fight him but only for X amount of money, which is impossible because that money is not there. Or they want specific conditions or whatever.”
Now the WBC may go down their rankings and identify a new opponent for Fury, who last faced a mandatory 14 months ago in the form of Dillian Whyte.
He added: “Fury needs to get into the ring so we are going to address what is happening with Wilder and Ruiz.
“If they are not going to fight a final eliminator then we have to go and find something and order a mandatory for Tyson Fury.”