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Tyson Fury vs Denis Boytsov fight for December 1 being negotiated

Denis Boytsov's team says they've got an offer to face Tyson Fury on December 1, but will only accept the bout if the winner is guaranteed a shot at Wladimir Klitschko.

Christof Koepsel

Tyson Fury's team has reportedly made an offer to Denis Boytsov for a December 1 fight in the UK, but Boytsov's team say they'll only take the fight if it's sanctioned as a final WBO eliminator, with the winner then receiving a shot at Wladimir Klitschko -- should Klitschko succeed as expected on November 10 against Mariusz Wach, anyway.

Boytsov (31-0, 25 KO) has been the scourge of the heavyweight division's C and D level, mostly, but the 6'1" Russian right-hander has been considered a potentially strong contender for a while now. He knows what he's doing in the ring, and could present a tough matchup for Fury (19-0, 14 KO) if the fight does get made.

Fury has also been mostly beating up on lower-level fighters and even recently said he expected to face "another bum" on December 1. Both are talented, young heavyweights with some upside, but it never seems clear anymore just how much upside any heavyweight prospect has, as the division is sort of skewed overall by the dominant presence of Wladimir and Vitali.

Still, this offer being made is notable from Fury and Hennessy Sports, and considering that Boytsov's team is at least considering it, that must mean the offer isn't some low-ball deal made mostly so they could say, "Well, we made an offer to Denis Boytsov and these other people, but instead we wound up with Dominick Guinn because everyone turned us down."

As of October 5, Boytsov was the No. 1-ranked contender to Klitschko's WBO title, so he is not asking for anything that, by the way things work and the way things are, he doesn't deserve. Fury is currently ranked No. 7 by the WBO, behind Boytsov, Seth Mitchell, David Haye, Chris Arreola, Carlos Takam, and Luis Ortiz.

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