Promoter Bob Arum is "confident" Tyson Fury will come out of retirement to face the winner of Saturday's heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.

Fury retained his WBC world title with a victory over Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April and stated that was his last fight. 

The Brit appeared to backtrack this month by stating he would be returning to the ring and wanted to face Dereck Chisora for a third time, having already been victorious over his compatriot in 2011 and 2014.

Fury then announced once again that he has retired in a social media post on his 34th birthday last week.

Joshua and Usyk will do battle once more this weekend in Saudi Arabia, after the former undisputed cruiserweight champion took the Brit's IBF, WBA and WBO belts with a unanimous decision victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.

Arum believes the 'Gypsy King' can be tempted back into the ring to face whoever comes out on top.

He told Sky Sports: "Absolutely - it's really the only fight that makes sense for Tyson Fury.

"I've discussed this with my co-promoter of Fury, Frank Warren, and once this fight is over we're going to put together a total unification match between the winner and Tyson Fury.

"Now, if Usyk wins the fight, which I expect, that will be quite easy to do because we're very close to the Usyk people as they're the same people who manage Vasyl Lomachenko who fights for us. If Joshua wins, Eddie Hearn is his promoter. We've talked many times with Hearn about various matches and I'm sure we'll be able to come together on this one.

 "I've talked with him [Fury] and every day is different, but he's a fighter and if the right fight is there then Fury will be up for that fight. The right fight is the unification fight against the winner of Usyk and Joshua and I think - based on my conversations with Fury - he'll be up for that challenge.

"How much longer he will go after that, god only knows and I'm not sure, but I'm confident at least that he'll answer the bell for that major fight."

Anthony Joshua insists he will not be driven into retirement if he fails to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in his world heavyweight title rematch this Saturday.

Joshua, 32, suffered only the second defeat of his 26-fight professional career when he met Usyk for the first time last September, going down in a convincing unanimous decision to the talented Ukrainian.

While it was considered an upset, Usyk dominated the Brit in a masterclass to claim the IBF, WBA and WBO belts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Usyk has built a 19-0 professional record, including a perfect 7-0 in cruiserweight world title fights before deciding to move up to heavyweight.

Joshua has shown his ability to respond to adversity before when he successfully reclaimed his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr after the Mexican had pulled off a stunning stoppage victory six months prior, with that rematch also taking place in Saudi Arabia.

The Englishman has dismissed suggestions he may have to quit if he fails to dethrone Usyk this weekend.

"It’s up to me at the end of the day, it’s not up to anyone else what I do with my career," he said. "I don’t have to do this. Why do I do it? It’s because it’s all I know.

"This is also my 12th consecutive world title fight. I’ve been in world title fights back-to-back 12 times. 

"It happens – if you’re fighting people at world level, you’re meeting people of world-level quality. I’m not fighting people who are below par."

Deontay Wilder will return to the ring to fight Robert Helenius on October 15.

Wilder has not fought since he was beaten by Tyson Fury for a second time in their trilogy fight last October.

Fury knocked the American out in the 11th round at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to retain his WBC heavyweight title.

Wilder will end his exile from the ring against Finland's Helenius at Barclays Center in New York.

The 36-year-old American, known as the 'Bronze Bomber', said: "It's been a long journey for me and as of today it continues. I thought so many times about whether I should stay out of the business or come back.

"Once I got my statue in my hometown and saw so many people arrive and celebrate with me and my family, to see all the emotions, grown men crying in front of their children and saying he is a real true king, made me feel like my job is not done.

"So, here I am once again, looking forward to returning to the ring. I am looking forward to coming to Barclays Center, a place where I have had my most devastating knockouts and a place I consider my second home.

"So where all my Bombzquad people at? It's time to put on your war gear. And let's go to work, baby. Bombzquad is back!"

Anthony Joshua admitted his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is "must win" ahead of the fight on Saturday.

Joshua was surprisingly outclassed by Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September as the Ukrainian won the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles.

Usyk will defend his belts for the first time in a rematch this weekend with the Briton in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the final press conference before their bout at the Shangri-La hotel in Jeddah, Joshua insisted he has to win, but felt confident after his camp with new trainers Robert Garcia and Angel Fernandez.

"That's it. Must win," Joshua said. "I like the pressure. It's been tough. Robert Garcia, Angel Fernandez, existing members of my previous team as well, definitely pushed me, challenged me. 

"Now we just get the job done. Instinct, stay focused, get the job done, God willing, victorious."

On his motivation for the fight, where he will face the unfamiliar role of challenger, Joshua said: "It's competition.

"I've got goals I want to achieve in the ring on the night. That's competition with myself. You've got to have a competitive spirit."

Usyk is aiming to repeat his impressive performance from the first fight, and seemed relaxed at the press conference, echoing what his opponent said about the importance of competition.

"We were born to compete for life, for belts, for everything. The one who does not compete does not live," Usyk said.

"All our lives are competition, for anything, for something, for somebody. That's why we are competing."

Either as a mind trick or simply to show how unfazed he was in general, as Joshua was leaving the stage following their face off, Usyk burst into song, joined by members of his team.

Oleksandr Usyk is determined to do his fellow Ukrainians proud when he faces Anthony Joshua on Saturday and vowed to help them in any way he can.

Usyk outclassed Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September to win the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles.

The 35-year-old will defend his belts for the first time in a rematch with the Briton in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

Usyk has been involved in a battle that is much bigger than any boxing fight since he became world champion, returning to his homeland to defend his country following Russia's invasion.

He has set up the Usyk Foundation to support humanitarian aid for Ukrainians in need of medical care, shelter and food.

Usyk has also ensured his second bout with Joshua in Jeddah will be free to watch for the people of his war-torn country and he hopes to put on a show for his compatriots.

"I want to help my people and my country and Saturday night is going to be a small party for them, maybe a big party," he told Sky Sports.

"I will do my best to give the best performance that I can.

"It's important because the war is taking place and we have to help people. Whether they need food, we supply them with food. Whether they need anything else, we have to help them.

"Because this is something that is happening in our hearts and our assignment is to keep positive and keep other people positive.

"I have a group of people who work hard to find families in need. Maybe they need some kind of house to live, some food to support, maybe some money to spend for their families.

"They are looking for these people, they are analysing what are their needs and they help in satisfying their needs. This is something that they do every day and this is something that will be done in the future because this is actually the mission of the foundation."

Frank Warren has revealed his surprise following Tyson Fury's latest retirement announcement, but insists his wishes must be supported.

The Gypsy King has not fought since successfully defending his belts against Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April, where he immediately expressed his intention to retire.

However, Fury excited fans last week when he announced his intention to return to the ring with a fight against Derek Chisora, while the winner of Anthony Joshua's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk was also touted as a likely opponent.

Nevertheless, he again reiterated his desire to retire on Friday - his 34th birthday - and vacated his Ring Magazine heavyweight title belt.

Although this is not the first time that Fury has announced his intention to hang up his gloves, he has not previously relinquished a belt.

And his decision came as a surprise to co-promoter Warren, who told Fight Night on talkSPORT: "At the end of the day, if that's what he wants to do, that's his right to do it.

"He was actually looking forward to fighting last week; he was actually talking about fighting, but that's how he feels at the moment.

"If that's how he feels, that's how it is; we've all got to support what he's doing.

"I spoke to him a few times last week, and he told me he's weighing exactly what he was weighing for his last fight against Dillian Whyte – that's how hard he's training."

But Warren is hopeful that Fury will perform another U-turn for a crack at the winner of the eagerly anticipated bout between Joshua and Usyk on August 20.

"I know he's frustrated and next week - the 20th - it's a big, big fight, and all eyes will be on it," he added.

"Whoever wins that fight, everyone will want to see him fight Tyson. If Tyson wants to do it, he will. If he doesn't, he won't."

Tyson Fury has vacated The Ring Magazine heavyweight belt following the announcement of his retirement.

The Gypsy King has not fought since successfully defending his belts against Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April, where he immediately expressed his intention to retire.

Speculation continued to persist that Fury would return to the ring, with the winner of Anthony Joshua's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk touted as the likely opponent.

On Friday, his 34th birthday, Fury again reiterated his desire to retire and has now vacated one of his heavyweight titles.

"The Ring Magazine championship has always been the holy grail of boxing. They've been fantastic with me and I've always carried that title with pride," he told The Ring Magazine.

"The greatest moment of my career was winning the world championship (by outpointing Wladimir Klitschko) back in 2015.

"There's the great comeback after that with the three [Deontay] Wilder fights. There's been a lot of great highlights in my career – even the Dillian Whyte fight in front of 94,000 at Wembley. It doesn't get much bigger than that. And I went out with a bang."

While it is not the first time that Fury has stated he would retire, he has not previously vacated any heavyweight belts and has made it clear he will not disappear entirely – hinting at a Hollywood appearance.

"It was fun while it lasted. I had a good 14-year career. I actually boxed for 20 years, from 14 to 34 years old," he said.

"I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the ups and the downs. My career was an Indian summer that just kept giving.

"I've done well out of boxing. The world is open to so many things now. I'm doing a Netflix documentary at the moment.  I'm going to be recording an album soon. Who knows, you might even see me on the silver screen."

Fury still holds the WBC heavyweight title and it is not known whether he will vacate that belt following his announcement.

Tyson Fury has conducted another U-turn on his boxing future, announcing his retirement on social media just three days after appearing to confirm plans for a return to the ring.

On Tuesday, Fury revealed he had appointed a new trainer and urged Derek Chisora to accept an offer for a trilogy fight during a series of Instagram posts.

But on his 34th birthday, the WBC heavyweight champion announced plans to exit the sport.

"Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.

"After long, hard conversations I've finally decided to walk away and on my 34th birthday I say bon voyage."

Fury originally announced he would leave the sport following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April, and has won 32 of his 33 professional bouts, registering one draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.

Tyson Fury has conducted another U-turn on his boxing future, announcing his retirement on social media just two days after appearing to confirm plans for a return to the ring.

On Tuesday, Fury revealed he had appointed a new trainer and urged Derek Chisora to accept an offer for a trilogy fight during a series of Instagram posts.

But on his 34th birthday, the WBC heavyweight champion announced plans to exit the sport.

"Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years," he wrote on Instagram on Friday.

"After long, hard conversations I've finally decided to walk away and on my 34th birthday I say bon voyage."

Fury originally announced he would leave the sport following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April, and has won 32 of his 33 professional bouts, registering one draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.

Tyson Fury has confirmed he is planning a return to the boxing ring, as he urged Derek Chisora to accept his offer for a trilogy fight after revealing Isaac Lowe as his new trainer.

Fury claimed in April that he was to retire following a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium, but has repeatedly hinted he was considering a U-turn.

Earlier this week, Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren said the 33-year-old has "itchy feet" and "wants to fight", while the WBC heavyweight champion pledged to face the winner of the upcoming Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua bout last month.

However, Fury now appears to have a third bout with Chisora, who he has beaten on two previous occasions, in his sights.

On Monday, Fury took to Instagram to reveal his offer to Chisora, declaring: "You're running, Derek, from the trilogy. You call yourself 'war', you should call yourself 'chicken'."

The following day, Fury stood alongside long-time friend and fellow fighter Lowe in a second post, adding: "I've decided to come back to boxing because I can be the first heavyweight world champion in history to have two trilogies, one with Deontay Wilder, one with Derek Chisora.

"I'd always say I'd fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career, and here we are, breaking all records again, setting precedents.

"When I was with [former coach] SugarHill [Steward], Isaac's always been there. He knows me better than anyone on the planet and we're a great team, we're going to finish this together, and here we are, about to take on a massive event." 

Fury overcame Chisora on points in 2011 before registering a dominant win in their 2014 rematch in London, while the 38-year-old beat Kubrat Pulev in his last outing in July.

Frank Warren says world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has “itchy Feet” as he is hungry for another fight.

Fury successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title with a sixth-round knockout triumph of Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April in a bout that he claimed was the last of his illustrious career.

The 33-year-old has remained insistent he will not return to the ring but the lure of a potential unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua, who clash in Saudi Arabia on August 20, may be difficult to resist.

Warren, Fury’s co-promoter, says the unbeaten Brit wants to get back in the ring and he believes it will happen.

"He's got itchy feet at the moment, he wants to fight," he told TalkSPORT.

"I think what's going to happen is, see what happens on [August] 20th and the outcome of that and that'll determine what he intends to do in the future.

"My opinion, this is not from him, it's from me. I think he will [return] because he's a fighting man and he misses it. That's what he does, he wants to fight."

Speculation of a return to the ring for Fury was already ramped up by comments from Bob Arum, his other promoter, who revealed there has already been discussions with Usyk's camp regarding a unification bout.

"I'm hoping [Oleksandr] Usyk wins because I've talked with his people and I think they would be anxious to fight Tyson Fury and I would hope to do that fight in December, maybe, or early next year," he told Barbershop Promotions.

Fury has long been touted for a unification bout, but plans to face Joshua last year were scrapped when an arbitration ruled he must honour his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.

The Gypsy King subsequently beat the Bronze Bomber in a fight widely regarded as one of the best heavyweight bouts in recent memory, with both fighters hitting the canvas before Fury's stoppage in the 11th round.

Any chance of an immediate showdown with Joshua was ended after his compatriot's defeat to Usyk in September, with Joshua activating his rematch clause to set-up this month's bout in Saudi Arabia.

Oleksandr Usyk has ensured his world heavyweight title rematch with Anthony Joshua this month will be free to watch for the people of war-torn Ukraine.

Usyk outclassed Joshua to win the WBO, WBA Super, and IBF titles at Tottenham Hotspur last September.

The 35-year-old will defend those straps for the first time in Saudi Arabia on August 20, when Joshua gets the chance to regain the belts.

Saudi organisers gifted the television rights for the bout to Usyk, who has enabled those who are able to watch in his homeland will not have to pay.

Alex Krassyuk, the world champion's promoter, told talkSPORT.com: "He intended to buy [the right], but received it [free] for Ukraine.

"He makes it free to watch via Megogo [streaming service], his YouTube channel and via state public TV ‘Suspilne’."

Usyk returned to Ukraine to defend his country following Russia's invasion of his country in February.

Jake Paul has called off his fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. due to a weight dispute less than a week before the bout at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The pair were set to clash in the ring on August 6 as part of a card that also featured Amanda Serrano, but Paul has now cancelled the bout after Rahman failed to meet the agreed weight of 200 pounds.

Paul's Most Valuable Promotions released a statement claiming Rahman had agreed to fight at 200lb, only for his team to later look to increase the weight limit to 215lb.

"Hasim Rahman Jr. has pulled out of the fight. This is not a joke, I am devastated, I can not f****** believe this. We just found out this news," Paul posted on Twitter.

"This is just another case of a professional boxer, like Tommy Fury, being scared to fight me. 

"It's clear as day that these guys have been so unprofessional to work with, looking for any excuse to suck more money out of this event, to coerce us into doing things.

"From the jump, I knew from the bottom of my heart that this guy didn't want to get into the ring with me. It's clear as day."

Rahman initially stepped up to face Paul as a replacement for Tommy Fury, who pulled out of a scheduled fight against Paul last year due to injury and then could not travel to the United States due to a visa issue.

While Rahman confirmed he was not able to meet the agreed weight, he disputed Paul's claims about money and said he would have fought for $5,000.

"I signed a contract to make 200 pounds within the three and a half weeks I had to do it, but I couldn't do it. My body simply would not let me do it, would not let me get down to 200 pounds," he said in a video message.

"But when in boxing do you see them cancelling fights a whole week in advance? I didn't even get my last week to get down as low as I could. 

"I told this man: 'If there’s penalties involved, keep the purse. I'll fight you for the $5,000 minimum.'

"That's how much it means to me and that’s how much faith I have in knocking him out."

Paul would have received a WBC ranking for the first time had he defeated Rahman.

Tyson Fury has vowed to return to face the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua bout, promising to fight his fellow Brit for free if he beats the Ukrainian.

Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at a packed Wembley Stadium to retain his WBC heavyweight title back in April.

Either side of the all-British fight, Fury repeatedly stated his desire to retire and maintained his career was over after remaining unbeaten in 33 fights.

The 33-year-old has since reiterated he is "very happy" out of the ring after the WBC stated it wanted clarity over the world heavyweight champion's future.

But Fury has backtracked on his initial standpoint, suggesting he would face the winner of Usyk and Joshua's September 21 rematch in a unification bout for the right price.

Asked on talkSPORT whether the reports were true he had offered to train Joshua before his clash with Usyk in Saudi Arabia, Fury responded: "I'd train him to beat Usyk very easy, but he doesn't want my help because I would definitely train him to win and he obviously doesn't wanna win.

"I wouldn't tell you [the game plan] because that's giving the secrets away. But probably you'll see what I'll do.

"Because when this little middleweight batters the bodybuilder again, he's gonna lose again, then they're gonna call for Achilles to come out. They will call and groan for Achilles to come back.

"And I'm gonna say, 'Get f***ed, I'm retired, I don't wanna fight'. And then, when they're begging me to come out of retirement, I will return, but it's gonna be very costly like I said.

"I'll show you how to deal with a middleweight!"

While Fury referenced a significant payday to entice him to fight Usyk, he claimed he would face Joshua on for free at Wembley should he win the bout against the Ukrainian.

"Anthony Joshua's a s***house and I'll knock him out," Fury added. "If he beats Usyk, he's gotta fight me for free in England, for the fans.

"Not for hundreds of millions abroad in a foreign country, here, in the UK. Free-to-air TV, free tickets, sell out Wembley. It'll be watched by 30 million people for free.

"No pay-per-view. No money earned. We do this one for the fans of the UK. Let's see who's the real man of the people.

"I know I am, that's why I'm willing to do it for free in the UK, but he will not wanna do that, he'll wanna travel abroad because he's a businessman and I don't give a f*** about business."

Anthony Joshua labelled himself "the comeback king" as he faced up to Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their eagerly anticipated August rematch in Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua said he was confident of bouncing back from last September's unanimous decision reverse, Ukrainian Usyk pledged to give his home country some cheer through his boxing after returning to aid against the Russian invasion earlier this year.

Joshua will be bidding to reclaim the unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles on August 20, after falling to just the second defeat of his professional career against Usyk in London last year.

As the fighters looked ahead to their clash in Jeddah, Joshua said he was grateful for the opportunity to right the wrongs of his previous performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"The great thing is I've got a second chance. What got me into boxing in the first place... when I was a youngster I got in a little bit of trouble every now and again, and I was blessed with a second chance and I found boxing," Joshua said.

"I took it with both hands. So if you know me and a lot of my story, you know I'm the comeback king. You can put me down, but it's difficult to keep me down.

"In the fight in September, I was wrong and he [Usyk] was right. Definitely the hunger is still there. Blips happen, things happen in life, but resilience, mental toughness and consistency will always prevail."

The pair's second bout was delayed by Usyk returning to Kyiv in March to help defend Ukraine against Russian forces.

The 35-year-old Usyk, who is unbeaten in 19 professional fights, hopes he can offer some happiness to his countrymen when he returns to the ring.

"As we all know we are not in the best condition at the moment back at home, but we are doing what we have to do," Usyk said.

"We are doing our job. Together with my team we are working hard to achieve our goals. I never made some very loud and bright speeches.

"All I did was I just worked hard in my training camp and in my gym. That's what I'm going to do until the date of the fight, and then I will enter the ring and will make you happy with my boxing."

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