Talk of a heavyweight super tournament happening on the same night has given boxing fans hope of seeing four current or former world champions collide.
However, World Boxing News understands the whole concept is a pipe dream. WBN believes there’s absolutely no chance of it happening in December.
It makes for a good story, you have to say that, but the very notion that Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua could occur on the same night is an absolute fantasy.
For one, Fury and Usyk couldn’t get their undisputed battle over the line in six painstaking months. You could give them another four years, and that bout wouldn’t ever get made.
Fury also hates the guts of Wilder right now. So sharing the stage with his American rival would take some convincing for “The Gypsy King.”
Wilder and Joshua have also talked about facing each other for seven years. If they were going to fight, it would have already taken place. You can add that both fighters’ stock is no longer what it is, and Middle Eastern business people would be chucking their money in the fire.
Heavyweight tournament numbers
Insane numbers in the region of $400 million split between all four are ludicrous. Fury vs Usyk wasn’t worth $200 million before. It’s certainly not worth it – even with Wilder vs Joshua added on.
Wilder and Joshua have both lost two out of their last three contests. So how anyone thinks that fight could be a nine-figure clash is a massive stretch of the imagination.
The whole concept is a fabrication from someone’s mind that has taken on a life of its own. On the one hand, Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott says the rumors are true. But Scott has said plenty of things in the past that has since failed to materialize for Wilder.
The truth is, “The Bronze Bomber” has been on the shelf for six months since he promised activity at 37. He had a fight lined up with Andy Ruiz Jr. that, so far, he’s failed to sign.
Then, in response to Scott, you have Fury saying the whole thing is BS. The smart money agrees with Fury that nobody in this sport is lucky enough to have investors wanting to pay that kind of cash for a four-strong heavyweight semi-final that’s worth a quarter – in reality.
Four separate bouts are far more likely
Fury, Usyk, Wilder, and Joshua are all far more likely to face four other contenders than each other in 2023. Fury or Wilder vs Ruiz, Joshua vs Filip Hrgovic, and Usyk vs Dubois are certainly more on tap than any Saudi extravaganza.
Fans need to wake up and smell the coffee, as far as the top division is concerned. It’s less glamor than it’s ever been before. It may take a new generation of fighters to bring back the days when the best fought the best.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN. Follow WBN: Facebook, Insta, Twitter.
