TYSON FURY is already being presented with alternative routes in case an undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk collapses.
The pound-for-pound stars are in talks for the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification bout.
But it looks as though Saudi Arabia is now out of the question with Wembley on April 29 the new frontrunner.
It means both will have to accept pay cuts while Usyk, 36, faces conceding the lion’s share and home advanatage.
Although ever the superstar, Fury, 34, is not exactly in shortage of potential backup options and here SunSport runs down the best of the bunch.
Anthony Joshua
Fans are not yet ready to give up on the Battle of Britain and neither is Eddie Hearn as he said AJ will fight Fury if he beats Jermaine Franklin on April 1.
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Hearn told iFL TV: “I don’t know what’s gonna happen with this Usyk thing. He may fight Fury next.
“We’d be open to that fight. If Usyk doesn’t fight Fury, AJ will fight Fury next, in the summer if he gets through Franklin.
“How about that? Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. He will.”
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Francis Ngannou
Ngannou, 36, is now the hottest free agent on the market after failing to extend his UFC contract.
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And he has flirted with an unprecedented hybrid bout against Fury, under boxing rules, with 4oz gloves in the cage.
Promoter Frank Warren remains hopeful the Usyk fight will be agreed but confirmed Ngannou is an alternative.
He told SecondsOut: “That’s an option that Tyson’s mentioned to me if this fight falls through. But, I don’t think it will fall through.”
Joe Joyce
Joyce, 37, is the WBO mandatory challenger for Usyk’s belt and in line to challenge the winner of the undisputed fight.
And sharing the same promoter in Warren, the Hall of Famer wants Fury to face Joyce in the summer at Wembley.
But if talks with Usyk hit a dead end, Joyce could be eyed as the backup alternative for Fury’s stadium return.
Joyce first returns on April 15 against Zhilei Zhang, 39, but would be ready to challenge for the title in the summer.
Deontay Wilder
Wilder has shared one of the most epic rivalries with Fury in heavyweight history, drawing their first but losing the two rematches.
And they could be made to do it all over again with Wilder, 37, highly ranked within the WBC.
He has been ordered into a final eliminator bout against Andy Ruiz Jr, 33, to determine the next in line for Fury’s belt.
But with the two teams familiar business partners, a shock deal could be struck to get a fourth fight on.
Andy Ruiz Jr
Fury has opened the door to facing the only heavyweight champion in history with Mexican descent.
But Ruiz is lined up with either a title eliminator against Wilder or Filip Hrgovic.
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Although he remains a pay-per-view attraction, meaning he cannot be ruled out of facing Fury sooner rather than later.
And Warren has a working relationship with Ruiz’s Premier Boxing Champions backers.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
