The last two heavyweight champions are just an agreement away from a massive Saudi Arabia showdown for the ages. If signed, Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk will be the first undisputed fight since Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield.
A huge four-belt battle, alongside a semi-final eliminator on the same night, is possible – if you believe several reports are gathering pace.
Heavyweight tournament
Former top division rulers Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua have been in contact over a potential double-header in the Middle East.
The whole event could be worth nine figures to all four participants. The winners of both fights would then meet in 2024, barring mandatory rulings.
Fury and Usyk failed to get over the finer points of painstaking talks from December to March. “The Gypsy King” then turned his attention to Andy Ruiz Jr. or Zhilei Zhang.
Usyk will now face Daniel Dubois in what effectively will be a warm-up for Fury. The reason for the extended delay has come down to money, as the investors promising to back the heavyweight showdown won’t have the funds until the back end of 2023.
This gives everyone breathing space to do their own thing. Fury vs Ruiz or Zhang, Usyk vs Dubois, and yet-to-be-confirmed actions for Wilder and Joshua will be set in stone in the coming weeks.
Wilder is in limbo if Ruiz cannot fight due to facing Fury or the personal issues he’s currently involved in. The World Boxing Council had ruled that Wilder and Ruiz were to fight it out for the mandatory challenger spot. However, Fury threw a spanner in the works by offering Ruiz an immediate chance.
Troubles at home could end after Ruiz’s wife accused the first-ever Mexican heavyweight champion of abusing her and his children.
Ruiz denies any wrongdoing and says he was the victim of abuse from Julie Lemus.
Fury, Usyk, Wilder, and Joshua
It’s all up in the air right now, with Chinese juggernaut Zhang on standby to battle Fury at Wembley Stadium. As WBN reported first, Wilder is also a backup option for Fury if those two options fall apart.
Fury vs Wilder IV at Wembley would be a standout event due to their 2021 Fight of the Year blockbuster.
The last of the four, Joshua seems intent on sitting it out. AJ is happy to wait for developments after beating Jermaine Franklin with a whimper.
The Briton may wait until December to fight again and go straight into it with Wilder. That’s if the rivals can finally see eye-to-eye.
Eddie Hearn is already in the region sounding out the potential grudge match five years in the making.
It’s a big if, judging by previous breakdowns in talks.
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