After the World Boxing Council confirmed the October ratings, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury can choose from seven possible opponents.
Fury told his supporters via social media that he would announce his opponent next week once the WBC confirmed his choice of opposition.
Mahmoud Charr, one of two foes Fury stated publicly he’d like to fight, is now ruled out. The former WBA “regular” champion is only rated 19.
Tyson Fury next fight
The current green and gold belt holder has to pick from anyone ranked in the top fifteen for a voluntary defense.
Higher-profile clashes with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk both were taken off the table last month for different reasons. This leaves Fury with few choices for December 3rd.
WBN counted eleven of the top fifteen being available to “The Gypsy King,” with Derek Chisora now the frontrunner out on his own.
Going down the list from number one, World Boxing News informs fans of the opponents Fury could confirm next Tuesday or Wednesday for his next bout.
Top of the ratings is Fury’s old rival, Deontay Wilder. However, “The Bronze Bomber” fights on October 15th and, therefore, wouldn’t be ready for December in Cardiff.
Andy Ruiz Jr. fought in September and is currently not training for a fight. Frank Sanchez, another Premier Boxing Champions team member who features heavily in the rankings, is fighting on the Wilder undercard.
Arslanbek Makhmudov fought in September, beating Carlos Takam. At a push, the undefeated Russian could be ready but may be seen as too much of a threat.
Anthony Joshua
Robert Helenius is rated five. However, the Finn battles Wilder on Pay-Per-View next weekend. Next up, Anthony Joshua is out after talks broke down.
Dillian Whyte won’t happen after Fury knocked out his fellow Brit in April. Otto Wallin, who fought Fury in 2019 and almost stopped him on a cut, would be a solid fight for promoter Frank Warren to consider with his top heavyweight.
Martin Bakole is another one Fury can pick if he wants to enhance British interest. The unbeaten “Heavyweight GGG” Zhan Kossobutskiy fights on November 5th, so he’s out of commission.
Fury’s great friend Joseph Parker wouldn’t be a consideration anyway. But the New Zealander did lose to Joe Joyce just two weeks ago.
Luis Ortiz could accept the fight despite losing to Ruiz Jr. in September. Michael Hunter is available at number thirteen after a battle with Tyson’s cousin Hughie fell apart for the second time.
Hughie is suffering from long Covid.
Tyson Fury vs Derek Chisora
The man rated fourteen by the WBC is the clear favorite, as Fury has already offered a contract to Derek Chisora. A third fight between the two is not wanted nor needed after Fury battered Chisora twice before.
For some reason, Fury has been banging on about a trilogy for some time. You could count on your fingers the number of British fans who’d say this is a worthy fight for a UK stadium.
Fury should think again.
The final man Fury could choose for December is the undefeated Filip Hrgovic. The big Croatian was handed a gift decision against Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Joshua vs Usyk 2.
However, it’s unlikely he’ll be chosen or allowed to face Fury by either promoter.
WBC Rankings – October 2022 [Heavyweight]
Deontay Wilder US
Andy Ruiz Jr. Mexico/US
Frank Sanchez Cuba CONTINENTAL AMERICAS
Arslanbek Makhmudov Russia/Canada SILVER/NABF
Robert Helenius Finland
Anthony Joshua GB *CBP/P
Dillian Whyte GB
Otto Wallin Sweden
Martin Bakole Congo/GB
Zhan Kossobutskiy Kazakhstan INTL
Joseph Parker New Zealand
Luis Ortiz Cuba
Michael Hunter US
Dereck Chisora GB
Filip Hrgovic Croatia
Voluntary Cut-off
Efe Ajagba Nigeria/US
Agit Kabayel Germany
Murat Gassiev Russia
Mahmoud Charr Germany
Jared Anderson US
Zhilei Zhang China
Tony Yoka France
Kevin Lerena South Africa
Kubrat Pulev Bulgaria
Bakhodir Jalolov Uzbekistan
Vladyslav Sirenko Ukraine ABCO
Charles Martin US
Ali Eren Demirezen Turkey
Carlos Takam Cameroon
Justis Huni Australia AUSTRALASIA/OPBF
Simon Kean Canada
Jose Larduet Cuba INTL Silver
Sergey Kuzmin Russia
Stephan Shaw US
Fabio Wardley GB
Oleksandr Zakhozhy Ukraine/Germany
Jerry Forrest US
James Kenzie Morrison US) USNB USNBC
Hussein Muhamed Germany
Demsey McKean Australia
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
