Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has revealed plans to potentially arrange a historic rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko, which could give the 48-year-old Ukrainian a chance to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
The ambitious proposal would see Klitschko return to the ring for the first time since his 2017 retirement.
However, the bout hinges on Fury first defeating Oleksandr Usyk in their upcoming December 21 rematch in Saudi Arabia.
If realised, the contest would offer Klitschko an opportunity to avenge his 2015 loss to Fury and break George Foreman’s record as the oldest heavyweight champion.
Tyson Fury has been tipped to face his old rival Wladimir Klitschko
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Fury’s first encounter with Klitschko took place in Dusseldorf in 2015, where the British heavyweight caused a major upset.
Despite entering as the underdog, Fury outboxed the Ukrainian legend over 12 rounds with his unconventional style.
The victory earned Fury the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles via unanimous decision.
A rematch was scheduled for the following year, but Fury withdrew after being declared “medically unfit” to fight.
Klitschko would have to wait two years before returning to the ring, ultimately losing to Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in what proved to be his final bout before retirement.
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Speaking to the Ariel Helwani Show, Alalshikh outlined his vision for the heavyweight division: “The result of Tyson vs Usyk, a lot of people are waiting for them.
“One of them is Dubois. Another is Joshua.”
“At the same time, there is a third person. I am dreaming of seeing this fight to give chance if he accepts to give Klitschko to give back to be the oldest heavyweight champion ever,” he added.
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Wladimir Klitschko could return to the ring to face Tyson Fury again
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The Saudi boxing chief acknowledged that Fury has multiple potential opponents: “Klitschko, all the people want to see it from 2015 again, and there’s also Joshua, which would be the hugest Britain fight ever.”
He noted that a potential Klitschko-Usyk matchup would be unlikely: “Of course, he won’t fight Usyk if he wins because they’re two heroes from Ukraine will not fight each other.”
George Foreman currently holds the record for oldest heavyweight champion, having knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 at age 45.
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Tyson Fury lost for the first time in his career when he faced Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year
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Klitschko, who turns 49 in March, had recently shown interest in making a comeback against Daniel Dubois for the IBF title.
Negotiations for that bout began but were ultimately scrapped by Saudi organisers following Mike Tyson’s recent performance against Jake Paul.
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Klitschko had considered challenging Fury directly, revealing: “I was thinking I should tweet ‘Tyson Fury – Last dance?’
“Since he wants to retire and we were supposed to have this rematch.”