Tyson Fury has been advised to avoid a fight with Andy Ruiz Jr ahead of his all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua.
The ‘Gypsy King’ announced his retirement from the sport last year following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. However, it did not take long for the former two-time world champion to perform a major U-turn. The 37-year-old returned to competitive action back in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Fury barely broke a sweat as he cruised to a points victory in front of over 60,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Brit immediately grabbed the microphone and called for a monumental fight with Anthony Joshua – who was sitting ringside. While ‘AJ’ was reluctant to enter the ring, the two stars finally agreed to fight just days later.
Joshua will take on unknown Kristian Prenga on July 25 before finally facing the ‘Gypsy King’ later this year. Following the announcement, Fury then expressed his interest in another tune-up fight – which is expected to take place in August.
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Many have already offered to take on Fury, including ex-heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. But boxing icon Duke McKenzie has urged the Brit to avoid taking on the Mexican-American hard-hitter. Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, he said: “No, there is absolutely no sense in it.
“Stylistically, Andy Ruiz is all wrong, isn’t he? He’s not 6ft 6 or however tall Joshua is. He’s not got long arms, he’s short, he’s diminutive and he’s a little pressure fighter. Stylistically, that fight is all wrong. What he does need is somebody tall and rangy. Joshua, I’m talking about, and Fury is going to have to go down the same road.”
Touching on his immediate future, Fury recently revealed to FurociTV: “So my fight plan this year, with three fights. So it will be April, August and whenever the big fight is announced, either October or November.
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“We have not got an opponent yet. But again. it’s never about the opponent, it’s just about me versus me always. So, whoever the opponent is, if it’s Joe Bloggs or if it’s Mike Tyson, it’s all important to me. It’s just a run out for me. Like, just to get sharper for the big one.”
That said, the 37-year-old knows the risks of taking another fight before Joshua, insisting he could jeopardise the blockbuster bout should he get knocked out in August. He added: “Listen, I might get knocked out my next fight in August. So then it’s all over it. So I got to take one fight at a time, and they’re all deadly serious fights.”
