Tyson Fury closing in on Dereck Chisora fight in Cardiff after collapse of talks with Anthony Joshua

After talks with Anthony Joshua’s team about a huge battle of Britain in Cardiff on December 3 fizzled out, reports suggest it is Chisora who will be across the ring from the Gypsy King before the year is out.

Fury has won both previous meetings with many questioning the need for a third fight with a long-awaited meeting with Joshua having seemingly been a strong possibility.

Both Fury and Chisora were relative novices when they met for the British and Commonwealth titles back in 2011, the current WBC champion taking a points decision.

Three years later the outcome was altogether more emphatic, Fury dominating and stopping Chisora when the latter was pulled out by his corner after 10 rounds.

Veteran Chisora is now coming off a win over Kubrat Pulev but had lost his previous three fights, twice to Fury training partner Joseph Parker and also to Oleksandr Usyk, the man it is hoped the Morecambe giant will face in a unification fight in the early part of next year.

Other options have been mentioned with German-based Syrian Mahmoud Charr continuing to call out Fury.

His latest social media message saw him release a bizarre video where he is seen walking a lion on a lead. But the 38-year-old has never beaten a top level heavyweight and the contest would be seen as a complete mismatch.

All roads do now appear to be leading to Chisora with Fury talking up the fight in interviews over the weekend.

"In my opinion Chisora at least got a draw with Oleksandr Usyk, so I see Chisora as every bit as dangerous as Usyk - if it is Chisora,” he told Seconds Out Live.

Fury set Joshua several deadlines to sign for the fight on social media with the saga ending with both sides blaming the other for it falling through.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: “We’re not going to play a game with a bloke who’s coming out telling AJ it’s off and then he’s a dosser and he’s got to sign it, etc.

“Have your fight if you want to fight someone else, and we’ll do our thing, and we’ll see what happens.”