Why did Tyson Fury reject a fight with Joe Joyce after calling him the "second-best heavyweight" boxer?

Tyson Fury rejected a fight with Joe Joyce to meet his old rival Derek Chisora once again.

'The Gypsy King' has been out of action since his knockout win over Dillian Whyte in April. Following the victory, the WBC Heavyweight Champion announced his intentions to retire but immediately went back on that statement as he teased a clash with Francis Ngannou.

Since then, he has been in talks with seemingly half the division. Fury teased that he would fight the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua. After 'The Cat' turned down a December clash, he instead tried to fight 'AJ.'

The clash didn't come to fruition, as Tyson Fury stated that his longtime U.K. rival didn't want the fight. He then teased a clash with Joe Joyce, who was coming off a knockout win over his teammate Joseph Parker.

Following that victory, Fury stated that the 'Juggernaut' was the second-best heavyweight on the planet and that they could meet next. But that fight also didn't come to fruition.

Instead, the WBC Heavyweight Champion is slated to face Derek Chisora next in December. The two have met twice already, but 'Del Boy' was easily defeated in both of their encounters. The announcement of the trilogy did not go over well.

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Tyson Fury vs. Derek Chisora 3: Betting Odds

Part of the reason why fans were so devastated to miss out on a fight between Tyson Fury and Joe Joyce is due to the uncompetitiveness of the champion's next fight.

'The Gypsy King' and 'Del Boy' met on two prior occasions in 2011 and 2014. On both occasions, Fury dominated. Their first encounter saw him lose by a lopsided decision, and the subsequent clash saw him lose by knockout.

Since then, Fury has become even better, while Derek Chisora has gotten older and has declined. The latter has lost three of his last four fights, but that didn't stop him from getting a WBC Heavyweight Championship shot.

The betting odds reflect that, as the champion is a mind-bogglingly large favorite to retain his title next month. Based on the latest betting odds from MGM, Tyson Fury is the -2500 favorite. Meanwhile, Derek Chisora is the +1000 underdog for the December 3rd clash.

With odds like that, it seems clear who fans believe will win next month.