Will mandatory challenges spoil the highly anticipated Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua showdown for all four major belts?
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have reached a preliminary agreement to fight one another next year if they get past Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev, respectively.
In a perfect world, Fury vs. Joshua would be for all four major heavyweight titles. However, mandatory challenges could spoil the party.
Fury could be forced to defend his title against Dillian Whyte or risk losing it. The same goes for Joshua, who might have to face No. 1 challenger Oleksandr Usyk or give up one of his three belts.
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss that topic and possible solutions in this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora.
Reasonable list, but I wonder whether he’s trying to sell his third fight with Wilder by placing him at No. 2, ahead of Joshua.
Here’s my list:
No. 1 Fury
No. 2 Joshua
No. 3 Wilder
No. 4 Whyte
No. 5 Andy Ruiz Jr.
Here are some thoughts.
No. 1: No-brainer. Fury, coming off his knockout of Wilder in their rematch in February, is hands down the top big man today.
No. 2: Wilder can argue that he was stopped by a much better opponent (Fury) than the one who knocked out Joshua (Ruiz). True. However, Joshua bounced back to outpoint Ruiz. He also has a deeper resume than that of Wilder.
No. 3: Wilder shouldn’t be written off because of the setback against Fury, although it will be difficult to reverse that result when they meet for a third time. Otherwise, he has been dominating.
No. 4: Whyte has won 11 consecutive fights since he was stopped by Joshua in December 2015. And he has beaten some good opponents. Among them: Derek Chisora (twice), Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker and Oscar Rivas. Solid resume.
No. 5: Ruiz also shouldn’t be dismissed after his disappointing effort against Joshua in their rematch. The first fight wasn’t a fluke. Ruiz has ability and power. If he can get focused — big IF — he can have more success.
Usyk? I understand why Fury included him in his Top 5. I considered it. The former cruiserweight champ might have the best skill set among all heavyweights. The problem is that he has yet to prove he can beat an elite big man. No one will be shocked if he does, although he’d be at a size disadvantage against many heavyweights.
I also considered Luis Ortiz, a strong, skillful fighter. I couldn’t get past two brutal knockouts against Wilder in his last five fights, though.
And, finally, Kubrat Pulev has a golden opportunity to climb onto this list. All he has to do is beat Joshua whenever they fight.
The Gypsy King told us who are his actual top 5 heavyweights!
Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports News that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have agreed on financial terms for an eventual showdown or two.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua reportedly are one step closer to an all-U.K. showdown.
Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, told Sky Sports News that “it’s fair to say [Fury and Joshua] are in agreement regarding the financial terms of the fight.”
Of course, a lot has to happen before the heavyweight titans actually meet in the ring.
One, Fury and Joshua are contracted to fight Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev first. When and where those bouts will take place remain up in the air because of the coronavirus pandemic.
And, two, as Hearn pointed out, Fury has a mandatory defense against Dillian Whyte due by next February.
Fury and Joshua could meet on when – if? – all that can be overcome. There is talk of two fights.
“We’re making great progress,” Hearn told Sky Sports News. “There is still a lot to overcome. We are looking at venues and dates. We have the Dillian Whyte mandatory which is due before this fight. It’s fair to say [Joshua and Fury] are in agreement regarding the financial terms of the fight.
“We’ve been talking to [Fury’s management team] MTK, giving them the assurances from Joshua’s side that all the details on the structure of the deal is approved from our side. And it is from Fury’s side, as well.
“We’re in a good place. It’s fair to say that, in principle, both guys have agreed to that fight. Two fights. [There’s] a lot to overcome in the meantime. We’re moving in the right direction. I’m confident that both guys have given their blessing for the fight to go ahead.
“The point of Fury, Joshua and the teams agreeing to the structure of the deal? The first fight could happen next summer. It will be 2021. There is a big period of time where Whyte should get his shot at the title. That’s important to us.
“The main positive news is that Joshua and Fury have agreed to a two-fight deal, in essence. The most difficult part of any deal is the financial element. I believe we’re in a great place where both guys have agreed to what that should be.
“We have not signed contracts because there are still things to be worked out. We’re pushing towards a place where they can be drafted, for 2021. Both guys are in agreement. The structure of the deal has been put forward, and agreed to by both parties.
“There is a model in place that both parties are happy with. It’s the biggest fight ever in British boxing. It doesn’t get bigger, and there will never be a bigger fight in our generation.
“Two guys, very different, who fight differently, have experienced different things and have come back from adversity.”
Eddie Hearn is interested in staging a crossover boxing match between the UFC’s Francis Ngannou and heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, fighters have been busy on social media in an attempt to remain relevant and book the biggest fights possible once combat sports resume.
Arguably the biggest puncher in the UFC has been openly campaigning to try his hand at boxing, and Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is interested in staging a crossover fight between that puncher, Francis Ngannou, and heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte.
Hearn told ESPN of his interest in co-promoting a fight with UFC President Dana White that would pit the two heavyweights against one another inside a boxing ring.
“I thought maybe me and Dana could put this night together where you’ve got a ring which also transforms into a cage between matchups,” Hearn said. “So you’ve got crossover fights, but you’ve got an MMA fighter against a boxer in a ring. Then you’ve got a boxer fighting an MMA fighter in a cage.”
Hearn has even gone as far as to schedule a special ePress conference with Ngannou and Whyte for the fifth edition of the “Rivals” series at 2 p.m. ET Saturday, during which the fighters were expected to discuss a potential matchup.
White, however, shot down the idea of the UFC’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight taking on Whyte in a boxing ring. White says his energy is being directed toward the UFC at the moment. He also suggested that Ngannou wouldn’t be a part of the ePress conference.
“I like Eddie Hearn,” White said at a media event in Las Vegas. “[But] I’m not interested in that. … I’m not thinking about boxing anymore, and I’m worried about [UFC] business right now.”
Joseph Parker prefers rematch with Dillian Whyte over Anthony Joshua.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.
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Former heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker is itching to get back into the boxing ring once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and he’s able to travel. With a record of 27-2, the New Zealander is possibly a fight or two away from being right back in the title conversation.
At the moment, there are reported conversations taking place about the possibility of Parker facing Lucas Browne somewhere in New Zealand, with Queenstown, Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington as potential options for a late August or early September fight.
A showdown with Browne isn’t necessarily the one Parker is yearning for. With his losses coming to current unified champion Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, Parker was asked by DAZN News which loss he’d like to avenge more.
The answer may surprise you.
“The one I want more would be Dillian Whyte,” Parker said. “It was a close fight, and he was the better man on that day. But a few things happened before the fight, and I want to get my hands on him again.”
Most would assume that, given Joshua’s current status as unified champion of the world, Parker would seek to get that opportunity again. While he did say he’d want a rematch with Joshua as well, it’s the loss to Whyte that Parker has taken a bigger issue with.
“Just the way the fight went, really,” Parker said. “I know I could have beaten him, but a few things like the headbutt happened in the second round. He was good and it was a rough fight.”
Parker and Whyte met for the vacant WBO title on July 28, 2018 at the O2 Arena in London. The fight was a thrilling showdown that saw Parker taste the canvas for the first time in his career. A knockdown was scored by White in the second round, but a replay showed that it came from a clash of heads.
Parker was in control early, but Whyte made a diligent effort to take away the Kiwi’s hand speed by deploying some roughhouse tactics in the middle rounds. Parker roared back in the championship rounds and dropped Whyte in the final frame.
Whyte barely survived and, given the opportunity, Parker would love to get another crack at him. Even if that means he’d have to push aside a rematch with Joshua.
“For me, it was the more challenging fight at the time because I was coming off of the loss [to Joshua],” Parker said. “All of these other factors came into play on fight night. There’s a little bit of bad blood between us.”
Whyte has gone on record stating that Parker would need to work his way back up the ladder and currently has no interest in a rematch.
“I feel like if we have a second fight it would be exciting, and I could beat him,” Parker said. “He’s said that I have to earn my way back to the top, which is fine. He’s been fighting good opponents, and I’ve been trying to get those opponents.
“I would fight Anthony Joshua again because he has the belts, but the rematch I really want is with Whyte.”
Tyson Fury says he has spoken to UFC President Dana White about crossing over to MMA but he has unfinished business in boxing.
Tyson Fury has a lot on his plate at the moment, most notably a third fight with Deontay Wilder when the coronavirus pandemic allows it. That could be followed by an all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua. And Fury he’ll probably give professional wrestling another go.
One more possibility down the line? A foray in the UFC. He said during a chat with Kugan Cassius on his Instagram Live workout that he has spoken to UFC President Dana White on the subject.
“I’ve had plenty of conversations with Dana White about potentially having a fight with one of the guys,” Fury said. “But, at the minute, I don’t need to fight UFC guys. … I need to clear up some of my own stuff [in boxing]. There’s a few guys that need to be fought in this era. I need to fight Wilder again. I’ve got to fight Joshua. I need to fight Dillian Whyte.
“I’ll fight anyone. And there’s a lot coming up, too, like Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois and Tony Yoka. A lot of fresh meat to beat on. There’s even fights like Luis Ortiz, whoever.”
Fury continued to reel off potential boxing opponents but then circled back to UFC.
“There’s so many heavyweights today,” he said. “Efa Ajagba, the Nigerian. He looks pretty good, big tall kid. Filip Hrgovic, he looks amazing, too. Oleksandr Usyk. Derek Chisora, he’s in the mix. There’s so many good heavyweights out there to be fought and fights to give the fans.
“Until then, I don’t need a fight with Francis Ngannou. I don’t need Stipe Miocic, Brock Lesnar, whoever. I don’t need these guys to fight in a crossover match right now. When I’m finished what I’m doing in my own career, we can look at something like that.”
There is no telling precisely when or where Fury-Wilder III will take place because of the pandemic. Promoters are shooting for the fall and reportedly are considering sites outside the U.S. and U.K., including China and Australia.
Dillian Whyte is the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury’s heavyweight title but he’ll have to wait at least a few fights to get his shot.
Dillian Whyte evidently will have to wait even longer for his shot.
The heavyweight contender was the mandatory challenger for Deontay Wilder’s WBC title when the Londoner was suspended after a positive drug test following his victory Oscar Rivas last July, which resulted in his suspension.
Whyte was cleared by U.K. officials in December but it was too late for him; the sanctioning body had already handed his mandatory position to Tyson Fury, who proceeded to stop Wilder and win the title in February.
Whyte, who is due a title challenge next February, called out Fury on Twitter. In response, Fury made clear he has no plans to fight Whyte anytime soon.
Fury said on Instagram: “Funny how everyone wants to fight during COVID-19 when there’s no sports events happening. Also, I have a contracted fight with Deontay Wilder first, then when I win that I’ll have the fight with Joshua.
“Undisputed comes before mandatory, happy hunting.”
Whyte first became the WBC’s mandatory challenge late in 2017 but has yet to fight for the title. He obviously intends to continue pushing for it.
He Tweeted to Fury: “Come on Tyson Fury, you stole my mandatory, fight me. Are you a king or a coward like Deontay Wilder? Let’s fight, I’m ready, let’s go.”
Eddie Hearm reportedly has a plan in place to restart boxing in July on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s U.K. headquarters.
Eddie Hearm reportedly has a plan in place to restart boxing in July on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s U.K. headquarters.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Hearn intends to stage five-fight outdoor cards on four consecutive Saturdays beginning in mid-July on the promotional company’s property in Brentwood, Essex, outside London.
The first main event will be a title fight between Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas, according to the report. A heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin will be featured on the final show.
Only 90 people will be on site because of coronavirus restrictions. No spectators will be allowed.
“Financially this will be painful for us but after the momentum we have worked so hard to build over the past 10 years, I’m not going to let boxing just dribble back,” Hearn said. “While other guys go with arena and empty studios, ours will look very different.
“Just imagine it. It is summer, the house is all lit up, you can see Canary Wharf in the distance and fireworks are going off. Then over the hill walk Dillan Whyte and Alexander Povetkin for a massive tear up on my lawn.
“World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then.”
A heavyweight clash between Dillian Whyte (left) and Alexander Povetkin will be featured in a series of fights targeted for July and August. Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
The series has a working title of “Matchroom Fight Camp.”
“We cannot just bring boxing back with a dark studio,” Hearn said. “We have built our product on the razzmatazz, the sexiness and the drama. It has all been about building that moment for a fight, so we cannot afford to just bring people out like a game show.
“We want to create a gladiatorial environment that ill not only ensure compelling viewing but will also ensure fighters can perform at the highest level.”
He went on: “It is a huge mission. We are going to turn our headquarters here into an outdoor venue for live boxing, with a full canopy in the middle of the garden and the ring overlooking London. We are building changing rooms for the fighters, setting up a space for a ring walk, and figuring out how we can do everything you need for this kind of production with as few people as possible.
“… We are in talks with a nearby hotel about taking control of it for each of the weeks. The way it will work is everyone involved — the fighters, their teams, the broadcasters — will go into the hotel on Tuesday and the fighter and their team will go to a testing facility at the hotel. You will go in, get tested, be handed a room key and go straight to your room, where you will wait until you get the result of the test.
“The tests are comprehensive and they take 24 hours, so the fighter will stay in their room until they get a call from our doctors, likely on the Wednesday, with their results. If they are positive, they will leave the hotel immediately. If they are not, they are able to leave their room and take part in the obligations of fight week, all with social distancing.
“Everyone involved in the show, from top to bottom, will have to go through that process before they are allowed on to our premises. In terms of fight-week promotion, that is the other side of the challenge. How do you do the media around it? Obviously we cannot have dozens of journalists turning up and sitting shoulder to shoulder for a presser and a weigh-in like normal.
“So we need to decide how it will go. It is likely that Zoom interviews and social media live streams with the fighters and journalists will be the new norm, and pumping out clips of the fighters around the clock, building up to the weigh-ins on the grounds on Fridays and the fights on Saturdays.”
Hearn is still working out details with government and health authorities.
Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte floated the idea of participating in boxing and MMA simultaneously.
Dillian Whyte in MMA? The heavyweight contender hinted that it’s a possibility.
Whyte, speaking on a video on his YouTube channel, said he might become a two-sport – boxing and MMA – athlete. The move makes more sense for him than most boxers because he actually has some MMA experience and was a successful kickboxer.
And he already has an eye on a UFC star, heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic.
“I’ll fight Stipe Miocic,” said Whyte, who is scheduled to face Alexander Povetkin in a boxing match on July 2 in London. “I’ll kick him in the face. He’ll just try to take me down but he might go to sleep before I go down, though.
“… Yeah I’ll fight UFC. I’ll do one boxing fight then one UFC. One boxing fight, one MMA fight. Tell [UFC President] Dana White to hit me up.”
Whyte also mentioned heavyweight star Francis Ngannou as another possible UFC opponent.
“Francis Ngannou, he’s the man,” Whyte said. “Francis Ngannou, I will lick him down. He ain’t got no chin, he’s a coward. I’ll knock out Francis Ngannou trust me. The only thing they’ll try to take me down, that’s it.”
Whyte reportedly scored a knockout over Mark Stroud fighting for Ultimate Challenge MMA in 2008. He apparently never again participated in an MMA event and took up boxing as an amateur the following year. He turned pro in 2011.
He also reportedly was a two-time professional British kickboxing champion and won a European title.
The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More fights are off.
The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to talkSPORT.
That includes the May 2 heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin, which has tentatively been pushed back to July 4 at Manchester Arena. Katie Taylor was scheduled to defend her lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano on that card.
Also, a lightweight title eliminator between Lee Selby and Geroge Kambosos Jr. scheduled for May 9 in Cardiff, Wales has been pushed back to July 11.
The heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora, which was postponed and rescheduled for May 23 in London, is off again. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing reportedly is working on a new date.
And Hearn told talkSPORT that the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev title fight scheduled for June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is unlikely to happen on that date. He said July 25 is a possibility .
“Every sport is looking at their calendar but nobody knows when [it will resume],” Hearn said. “We all hope we can return to some kind of boxing in June, whether that is behind closed doors at first, whether that is back in small hall shows, and then we hope we can get to the bigger stuff by the end of June, early July. But we are completely guessing.”
As for Joshua-Pulev, Hearn said: “We have looked at alternative dates for everything without knowing anything concrete. We have ongoing conversations with Tottenham to say that if the Premier League extends and does get played in June then we’ll be pushed back.
“We do have a date of July 25 held at Spurs as well, which is more realistic. It is five weeks after June 20. But we haven’t gone on sale with that, we haven’t made an official announcement in terms of seat details and on-sale dates, so we have got less pressure on that. There is more pressure for Anthony to fight twice this year.
“… I know there is a bigger picture going on but everybody in sport, eveybody in business right now, needs to be working on a solution, the outcome, what happens when we get through this because it is going to be a horrifically messy time for all businesses, all sports, everything, when we do come out the other side.
“The world won’t be the same again and, in a lot of cases, we will have to start from scratch.”
