Tyson Fury

Competitions including the Premier League, the NBA and Formula One were off as sport attempts to combat the spread of the virus.

There have been over 160,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths worldwide.

Without work to keep them busy, athletes were finding other ways to entertain themselves - and often posting evidence online.

Tyson Fury would not have been in boxing action this weekend, as it is just weeks since his stunning world heavyweight title defeat of Deontay Wilder, but he was still impacted by coronavirus.

"I've got two more fights left," he said.

"How long is a piece of string? I’m undefeated in 31 professional fights - this is my 12th year as a professional."

The newly crowned lineal world champion will be contractually obliged to face off once again, however, with Deontay Wilder.

The two fighters had a rematch clause in their agreement, which means a third fight in July will be next on the cards for Fury.

The 31-year-old also attributes the fluctuation in his mental wellbeing to the challenges of professional boxing.

Fury captured the WBC belt in Las Vegas on Saturday with a seventh-round stoppage of Wilder and attention immediately turned to a unification bout with Joshua.

The WBA, WBO and IBF titles all belong to Joshua after he avenged his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. with a points win in Saudi Arabia in December and Hearn has said Fury is the man his fighter wants next.

When Wilder was the WBC champion, a fight with Joshua proved too complicated to arrange, yet Hearn sees no issue now Fury is the belt-holder.

A seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on Saturday ensured Fury won the WBC belt and became a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.

The 31-year-old previously beat Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 but vacated the IBF, WBA and WBO titles while he fought depression and drug addiction.

He made his return to the ring in June 2018, shedding more than seven stone in six months, and completed his remarkable turnaround by beating Wilder two and a half years later.

Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round of their Las Vegas rematch on Saturday night (Sunday NZT) to claim the WBC heavyweight title and hand the American his first career defeat.

Fury had sent Wilder to the canvas twice and the champion appeared to be on shaky legs when the Brit pinned him in the corner in the seventh round, unloading a barrage of punches that saw the towel come in and forced referee Kenny Bayless to halt the contest.  

There was no repeat of their contentious December 2018 draw as Fury overwhelmed the previously undefeated champion before Wilder's corner threw in the towel in the seventh round on Saturday.

The Brit took a 42-pound weight advantage into a bout he described as the biggest the division had seen in 50 years and delivered on his promise to seek a knockout in Las Vegas.

Fury landed huge blows from the first bell, sending Wilder to the canvas in rounds three and five and at one point licking his opponent's blood-stained neck.

Joshua regained his WBA, IBF and WBO belts from Andy Ruiz Jr in December in a heavyweight rematch contested in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua's next fight is set to be against Kubrat Pulev, the Briton's promoter Hearn has talked up the possibility of a meeting with the victor of Fury-Wilder II, which takes place in Las Vegas on February 22, later in 2020.

Two-time IBF, WBA and WBO champion Joshua made the surprise offer to his fellow Briton while assessing the landscape in his division during an interview with Sky Sports News.

Fury climbed off the canvas twice as he boxed to a thrilling draw against Wilder 12 months ago and Joshua believes he can prevail in the rematch.

The preparation is something Joshua suggested he would like to play an active role in, to set up a blockbuster showdown for all the major heavyweight belts.

Fury – who is expected to return to the ring in February to face Deontay Wilder in a rematch – has been taking on different sports over recent months.

Having appeared in WWE to wrestle Braun Strowman, Fury has also trained alongside UFC middleweight Darren Till.

The 31-year-old claimed to have spoken with Conor McGregor about training together, though White stated his belief Fury should stick to boxing.

"If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I've got a tonne of guys that would love to fight him," White told TMZ Sports.

Former unified world champion Fury and Wilder are due to due battle for a second time on February 22 after their first fight last December was declared a draw.

Wilder taunted the Brit by claiming he never wanted a rematch and is "running" as he prepares to face Luis Ortiz at the MGM Grand on November 23.

Fury hit back by stating he is gunning for the American after making a winning WWE debut against Braun Strowman last week.