The battles to decide the world’s best heavyweight boxer may hold in Saudi Arabia in December. According to boxingnews24.com, the plan is for Olesksandr Usyk to meet Tyson Fury in all heavyweight champions bout, while Anthony Joshua will battle with Deontay Wilder.
The idea is that the winners of the two fights will meet in ‘the ultimate showdown,’ according to Simon Jordan. With Joshua-Wilder and Fury-Usyk fights rumoured to be holding in Saudi Arabia, the fighters would make boatloads of money, which makes it worthwhile for them to take these risky fights.
It’s believed by some that World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) doesn’t fancy mixing it up with International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) champ Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), but the Saudi would change that.
Before those mouth-watering match-ups can occur this December in the Middle East, Usyk must defend against his WBA mandatory, Daniel Dubois, this summer, and Fury could defend against former unified champion, Andy Ruiz Jr next.
Fury’s promoter, Bob Arum, said this week that they’re looking to make the fight with former IBF, WBA & WBO champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) for the summer, and then if Tyson wins, he’ll face Usyk in December.
“There’s a rumour of a series of fights in the Middle East, and they involve Fury and Usyk and Joshua and Wilder with two fights or three fights being made, which is Fury vs. Usyk, Wilder vs. Joshua,” Jordan told talkSPORT.
“The two winners of those fights meeting again in the Middle East for the ultimate showdown,” Jordan continued. “That will chime with the December dynamic of the reasons Joshua isn’t fighting until December.
“He doesn’t have any obligations to make mandatory defences. The other boys (Fury & Usyk) do. Fury has an obligation. We have the obligation for Usyk, which is why Daniel Dubois is in the conversation, and then all roads lead to December. It’s interesting information, isn’t it? It’s an interesting conversation. Huge amounts of money.
“What do you think about Joshua holding off to fight Wilder? That terrifies the life out of me for him (Joshua). Everybody gets paid, and the fights get made. They’re massive fights, aren’t they? You hear the Middle East,” said Jordan.
Joshua would take a monstrous risk against the powerful former WBC champion Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs). Wilder’s one-punch power could prove to be too much for the chinny Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs), whose career is on the brink of implosion.
