AJ lined up to face Fury on May 18 if Usyk pulled out as guarantee for Saudi boss

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ANTHONY JOSHUA could find himself facing Tyson Fury across the ring just TWO MONTHS after his crossover clash with Francis Ngannou.

The Watford fighter will look to rebuild his career with a lucrative Saudi showdown against the former UFC heavyweight champion on March 8.

Tyson Fury's undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk has been moved to May 18Credit: EPA

The Gypsy King could find himself in the ring with Anthony Joshua if Usyk withdraws from the fightCredit: GETTY

AJ was finally able to get his hands on Fury just weeks after facing Francis NgannouCredit: GETTY

AJ and his team hope to end 2024 with a world title fight, but a showdown with British rival Fury could fall into their laps if Oleksandr Usyk pulls out of their rescheduled undisputed fight on May 18.

Saudi boxing king Turki Alalshikh dropped the bombshell during a performance on The MMA O'clocksaying, “I guarantee there will be a big fight that same night [if it is cancelled].

“If Usyk is scared I will call Joshua vs Fury and if Fury is scared I will call any fighter Usyk wants.

“This is the fight of the century.”

Ahead of the rescheduling of the first undisputed title fight in almost 25 years, Joshua's team revealed to SunSport that he would be willing to continue his showdown with Ngannou to secure the Saudis' big money plans.

Fury and Usyk's historic uncontested showdown was postponed this week after the Brit a horror cutting into the spruce.

But both men will be on the hook for a staggering £8million if they take a runner out of the long-awaited unification battle.

Alalshikh said: “I postponed it until May 18, I guarantee both fighters $10 million if anyone escapes from the fight.

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“We will let people around the world know if anyone is scared.”

Fury was left devastated by the reopening of the wound he suffered in his 2019 clash with Otto Wallin, so much so that he still wanted to fight in February.

Alalshikh said, “Tyson doesn't want me to tell this secret.

“He wanted to fight on the 17th with the cut, but I didn't let him think it would be a circus, not a fight.

“We have a deadline with IBF and I don't want any headaches with them.”

Fury looked to be in top form for the biggest fight of his life, which he is adamant he would have won in emphatic fashion.

He said, “This is not a blessing in disguise, but I take God's will as it comes.

“I was 100 percent confident that I would knock Usyk out. I was one hundred percent ready.

“Why wouldn't I want to fight for the biggest payday of my life?”

Will Tyson Fury really be ready for Usyk on May 18?

TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will now meet on May 18 after their undisputed fight was rescheduled following the Gypsy King's horror hiatus from training.

It could mean Fury has just 17 DAYS to fully prepare for the mouth-watering clash.

Here, SunSport boxing expert Wally Downes Jr. reveals whether the Brit will be fully prepared for the task ahead…

Fury insists he only needed 11 stitches in the cut above his right eye, which promoter Frank Warren previously said was 14, and it appeared to be healing well when he appeared online to debate Usyk on Saturday evening.

Either way, this new scratch sounds like a paper cut compared to the ax wound he suffered against Otto Wallin in 2019.

Doctors will try to ban Fury from any physical activity while the cut heals and then prescribe a very slow return to training. Only when the wound has fully healed will he be advised to spar.

But trying to tell the 35-year-old gypsy king what he can and cannot do can be a tall order for the diminutive doctor charged with the task of overseeing the 6-foot-2, 20st maverick.

The math suggests he may only have 17 days of sparring to prepare for the super-talented southpaw, who took gold at London 2012 and became the undisputed cruiserweight king.

And while Fury is supposedly resting and recovering from this latest setback, Usyk will still be training his body and mind, taking practice rounds with giants and growing in confidence.

While Fury is sidelined, he will undoubtedly gain weight. He was as big as 22nd just eight weeks after his October scare against Francis Ngannou, so he still hasn't tamed his appetite.

And Fury fans will surely be concerned that an enforced break, one more stumble and one more scarring target for Usyk to aim his blows at will all play in the 37-year-old Ukrainian icon's favor on May 18.