The 'Gypsy King' faced his first professional defeat last May, losing to Usyk, who claimed the WBC heavyweight title and became the first undisputed world champion in the division since Lennox Lewis.
The two fighters will meet again in Saudi Arabia on December 21 for a rematch, with three of the four major world titles at stake—excluding the IBF title, which Usyk vacated in the summer and is now held by Daniel Dubois.
Dubois successfully defended that title in an exciting match against Joshua in September. Although a rematch was anticipated for February, Joshua is reportedly still recovering from minor injuries, leading to Joseph Parker stepping in to challenge him in the New Year on a highly anticipated card.
Joshua is expected to return to the ring in May or June, and there are suggestions that he could face Fury next year, regardless of the outcome against Usyk this month. Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn recently indicated that both fighters might be interested in a 'farewell fight' in 2025.
However, after losing their first encounter, Fury is determined to secure his revenge this month and insists that a decisive third fight is essential.
Fury and Usyk, along with their promoters Frank Warren and Alexander Krassyuk, participated in an interview with DAZN following last month’s press conference in London, with the video released this week.
Warren stated that a victory in Saudi Arabia would solidify Fury’s position as the best fighter of his generation, while Fury emphasized that the only way to validate that claim is through a trilogy.
‘No Frank! There will be a rematch, a rubber match, trilogy,’ Fury asserted. ‘There’s got to be. If he wins one and I win one, I can’t say that I’m better and he can’t say that he’s better. There has to be a third one.’
Usyk and Fury will headline a significant event just before Christmas, marking the end of the year with another major card.
Dubois is set to defend his IBF title for the second time against Joseph Parker, who is currently enjoying a remarkable streak with victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
The event in Saudi Arabia will be headlined by a light-heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, with Bivol defending the undisputed title he secured in October.
Undefeated Londoner Hamzah Sheeraz aims to make his mark in British boxing by challenging WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames for his first world title.
In another highly anticipated matchup, Joshua Buatsi will face Callum Smith in a clash of the nation’s top light-heavyweights, while American star Shakur Stevenson will defend his WBC lightweight title against Floyd Schofield.
The card will also feature a bout between Chinese heavyweight Zhang and Agit Kabayel for the interim WBC heavyweight title, rounding out an impressive lineup.