The WBA, WBO and IBO are all set to make big what seems a straightforward decision in the coming days following Fury’s recent cancellation of a mandated rematch with Wladimir Klitschko and subsequent testing positive for cocaine.
That leaves all three organisations, along with the IBF, facing a potential headache over the current status of their championships having previously been all set for Fury v Klitschko 2.
As Klitschko is being linked to facing Anthony Joshua on November 26, most are wondering what will happen with the belts Fury leaves behind.
As WBN were told by the IBF, it should be no problems for Klitschko to get the ranking he needs to challenge Joshua having held the belt during a long reign previously, whilst ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ is also part of a WBA Tournament to crown one sole champion.
Whether the WBA would rather Klitschko face Luis Ortiz for their belt is a question only President Gilberto Mendoza can answer, and there’s also the small matter of Lucas Browne and Fres Oquendo awaiting their promised shots following recent court cases.
It may be the WBA’s decision to take the title away from a potential unification with Joshua, whilst the WBO have Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz Jr. both highly-ranked and in an eager position to contest the belt this year.
That could lead to both the WBA and WBO withdrawing their respective championships from Klitschko or Joshua’s clutches, which could in turn lead to KMG attempting to refer to the contract they had in place with Fury to get their chance – to no avail due to current rules in place.
Ed Levine’s International Boxing Organisation are also in the mix, but as known supporters of Klitschko and Fury, their title could follow in the same direction as the Ukrainian.
Should Joshua v Klitschko be confirmed this week, the IBF and IBO belts may be the only world titles of the four to make it to a UK clash, freeing up both the WBA and WBO for new champions to be crowned.
More will be revealed in the coming days when Fury’s obvious fate is finally made clearer.
