Tyson Fury explains why he will ‘probably’ fight Jon Jones instead of Oleksandr Usyk next
Fury will box ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, and he has his eyes set on the reigning UFC heavyweight champion next
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tyson Fury has doubled down on his claim that he wants to fight UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next, after taking on Francis Ngannou in October.
Fury will box former UFC champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia next month, though the Briton’s WBC title will not be on the line.
Some boxing fans still hope that Fury will fight unified champion Oleksandr Usyk next, but the “Gypsy King” has said he is more interested in facing Jones, who succeeded Ngannou as UFC champion after the Cameroonian left the UFC in January.
“Nope, I am not interested in fighting Usyk,” Fury told the Daily Mail. “He’s a little Ukrainian dosser. That’s all he is to me. No interest in unifying the division. It doesn’t mean s*** to me.
“All that stuff about unifying and whatever, it really doesn’t mean anything to me. I am looking for the biggest payday. Most of the time, Usyk doesn’t cut it.
“He’s just a foreign person who doesn’t speak good English, so you can’t really sell [a fight with] him. I am looking for probably another American. Probably looking to fight Jon Jones in a boxing fight.”
Fury, 35, last fought in December, defeating Derek Chisora for the third time to retain the WBC belt and stay unbeaten. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Usyk most recently boxed in August, defeating Daniel Dubois to also stay unbeaten and retain his titles.
Ngannou, 37, has not fought since retaining the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in January 2022. He then left the promotion and relinquished the belt this January. American Jones, 36, beat Gane to win the vacant title in March, and he is set to defend it against Stipe Miocic in November.
Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments