TYSON FURY said a fight with “19 stone juggernaut” Joe Joyce would be tougher than Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk was joined by Joyce ringside at Tottenham’s stadium to watch as Fury dominated and stopped Derek Chisora in their trilogy bout.
Tyson Fury is set to fight Oleksandr Usyk in 2023 but reckons Joe Joyce would be tougherJamie McPhilimey
Usyk and Joyce ringside at Tottenham for Fury’s fight
And it sets the pair of unbeaten heavyweight champions up for a historic unification showdown next year.
But Fury, 34, reckons he will have it easier in the ring against ex-cruiserweight king Usyk than he would against granite-chinned Joyce.
He said: “People have been asking me all night, ‘Who is a tougher fight, Usyk or Joyce?’
“And in my opinion, Usyk is the slicker boxer, but Joe Joyce is The Juggernaut, and I think Joe gives me a tougher fight than Usyk, 100 per cent.
“Big Joe, 6’7′, and 19-and-a-half stone like a juggernaut coming forward at me, trying to smash me to pieces.
“Or Usyk trying to steal a jab, running around the ring, trying to nick a point here and there.
“So, I think that Usyk is a very good fighter, I’m not going to take anything away from him.
“He’s the undisputed cruiserweight champion, and he’s the unified heavyweight champion.
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“So he’s had a fantastic career, but I think I’ll do a job on him.”
Fury is braced for the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification bout with Usyk, 35, with Saudi Arabia the frontrunner to host.
He said: “We’re hopefully gonna see the biggest year of my career. 2023, we’re gonna get the big fights that the fans really crave.
“First of all let’s talk about Usyk. I’m ready, I’m willing, to take on Usyk next – whether it’s gonna be in Saudi Arabia or back here in the UK. Both places will be fantastic.
“And let’s give the fans one champion, one name, one face. Usyk’s up to the challenge. He came over tonight, so fair play to him.
“He’s not an easy boxer to figure out, he’s a slick, southpaw mover with very good skills, Olympic gold medallist.
“And he’s coming on some good form so I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
Oleksandr Usyk facing off with Tyson FuryGetty