Tyson Fury Has Many Options if Usyk Bout Doesn’t Happen Soon
While he isn’t the unified heavyweight champion of the world and only has one of the four belts required to get the unprecedented title, Tyson Fury is certainly the star of the boxing’s heavyweight division right now. Arguably, Oleksandr Usyk has a greater claim to being the best right now, but everyone’s anticipating a unification bout to settle the debate and crown the first four-belt heavyweight king.
Still, if for any reason the Usyk bout can’t take place during the first half of 2023, Fury has several options to branch out into other sports, get big paychecks, and even grow his brand further.
WWE awaits a Fury return
The clearest path for Fury, should he not be in line to fight Usyk before July, is going back to the WWE. The towering boxer has graced the squared circle before, first as a fan in the crowd in October 2019 before wrestling Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel in 2021. He made some $15 million from that line of appearances, per reports.
Later, he’d shake hands with Strowman at SmackDown in November 2021 and then participated from the audience in September 2022. In an exclusive interview from January 2023, Fury said that he’s “hoping to get back in there soon,” in reference to the WWE, eyeing up Clash of the Castle 2 as a way to make another appearance with the company. Perhaps another hefty wrestling paycheck is on the way.
Capitalize on fandom with a licensed game
There is finally a new boxing video game with officially licensed boxers on the roster. However, Undisputed doesn’t appear to have launched into early access on Steam with the 6’9’’ Brit or a mode beyond quick fights. Until it at least gets a career mode and Fury, it doesn’t really count. Where the boxer could quickly get his own dedicated game, however, is in iGaming.
The online casino industry has grown tremendously over the last decade, with several brands opting to create licensed slots to feature across all platforms. While the numbered balls game is the big draw, online bingo sites also feature stacks of slots to entertain their community, including the official games Rocky, Bruce Lee, Dios Maradona, and even one for that muppet with the tigers, Joe Exotic. Fury could easily get his own licensed slot game through a top-class developer, and have his face and name as mainstays on top slots sections.
Star down a former UFC champion
This one is a bit more out there, but Francis Ngannou is out of contract with the UFC. As a free agent who has long been linked to having a crossover fight with heavyweight boxers, he seems to be in the best position to take on Fury in an exhibition match. However, neither could really expect the riches that the McGregor vs. Mayweather farce brought in, and it’d be far more dangerous for both as it’d be contested at heavyweight.
Get in on the next film in the Rocky-Creed franchise
On March 3, Creed III will arrive to deliver the next chapter in the franchise. It’ll be the first without Sylvester Stallone, focussing solely on Michael B. Jordan’s titular character facing an old friend, played by Jonathan Majors. It looks as high-octane as ever and will, once again, be calling on real boxers to cameo, including a return from Tony Bellew and an appearance from Saul Álvarez.
There’s very little doubt that if Creed III does well at the box office, which it likely will, there’ll be a fourth Creed movie to bring the franchise to a nice and rounded ten installments. Jordan is just about 6’, and Adonis Creed fights at heavyweight in Creed II, so Fury could pose as a potential opponent in Creed IV, but his towering presence isn’t exactly what the Hollywood star would want to be shown against.
Tyson Fury has the world at his feet and has a whole host of ways to capitalize on his name, even if the Usyk fight can’t go ahead as the next booking in his diary.
