Tyson Fury is ready to fight again this summer after seeing a clash against Oleksandr Usyk for all the heavyweight belts fell apart due to his demands.
Fury told Usyk he wanted a 70-30 split of the pot last spring, only for Usyk to call his bluff and agree for one night only.
“The Gypsy King” failed to come through for April 29, leading to Usyk moving on and looking at a mandatory defense next.
As Fury runs out of options, his list of recent opponents could read Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, and an Australian contender.
That’s according to chatter down under after Fury traveled to the Southern Hemisphere to watch friend Joseph Parker score a first-round knockout.
Since he landed in Oz, Fury has held talks with two possible foes, one who isn’t ranked in the WBC top fifteen [as needed for a voluntary] and one who is a cruiserweight champion.
Demsey McKean was the first to be mentioned in the same breath as Fury. The 22-0 Queensland fighter is in contention due to his record. However, none of those wins feature any single name of note and he’s 36th with the WBC.
Tyson Fury vs Demsey McKean
McKean’s manager Angelo Di Carlo spoke to the Herald Sun to declare the Fury bout a possibility.
“Chats began some time ago for Demsey to fight Tyson Fury in Australia. I think Demsey is the best option for the Gypsy King. We’re certainly keen to do the fight.” Di Carlo revealed.
Despite aligning with Eddie Hearn recently, McKean and Di Carlo have no problem dealing with Frank Warren.
“We’ve had a good association with Matchroom. We greatly respect Eddie Hearn, but I’ll have more talks with Fury’s camp and see where that takes us.
“If Tyson Fury wants to fight in Australia, the logical option is to fight an Aussie fighter. Talking to Fury’s people, they don’t want to fight a small heavyweight.
“Demsey is six foot six, and being a southpaw, he would present a real test for Tyson.”
He concluded: “We’ve been given a possible date to fight Fury in August, so hopefully, we can make it happen.”
Jai Opetaia challenge
The next link to Fury comes from Jai Opetaia, the cousin of former footballer Tim Cahill.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Opetaia, the current IBF champion at 200 pounds, is open to stepping up in weight.
“It’s close to happening. It’s a big deal,” Opetaia outlined. “I always knew I was good enough to mix it with the big boys and almost there to be able to prove it.
“I’m looking forward to it; I’d fight until my last breath.”
On Fury, he added: “He’s coming into my country, and he’s asked for the best fighter. It’s my time to step up to the plate and represent.
“I just have to prepare properly, find a way to beat him, and execute on the night.”
Mick Francis, the handler for Opetaia, is – like Di Carlo – optimistic about a contract.
“It’s a legitimate fight. Tyson Fury won’t get knocked out, and Jai Opetaia won’t get knocked out. It’s a fight that will go the distance. It would be an absolute war.
“It’s all about bang for the buck. You couldn’t wish for a better domestic fight. Jai’s nothing to prove in the cruiserweight division, and he would take the fight in a heartbeat.”
The man himself is continuing to compete in Australia, having told Aussie journos: “I’m definitely keen. It may even be my next fight over here.
“I just haven’t got an opponent yet. We’re going to figure it out.
“Over the next few days, we’ll be traveling to a few different states and looking at some potential venues for my next fight.”
Doubts
With Fury’s track record of stating his desire for fights in different places without them coming off, UK fans remain optimistic that his next fight will be at home.
Neither McKean nor Opetaia represents anywhere near the kind of opponent Fury should be facing. However, the same could have been said about Whyte and Chisora.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN.
