Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua might fight for all four major heavyweight titles yet.
BoxingScene.com is reporting that the WBO is no longer insisting that Joshua immediately defend its title against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, which clears the way for Joshua to defend that belt against Fury.
Fury and Joshua are in talks to fight twice this year, the first time in the spring. A site reportedly has been selected but not announced.
It’s not clear whether Usyk has signed off on the move, although reports have surfaced that he’s negotiating to fight Joe Joyce for the “interim” WBO title. The Fury-Joshua winner would have to fight the Usyk-Joyce winner within 180 days, BoxingScene.com reported.
Deontay Wilder has also been an obstacle to a Fury-Joshua showdown, insisting that Fury honor a rematch clause in the contract for their second fight, which Fury won by knockout in February.
The third fight between them was supposed to have happened last year but, in part because of COVID-19, it has yet to materialize. And Fury has moved on.
A mediator reportedly couldn’t resolve the dispute. Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, told Sports Illustrated that the next step is to go to arbitration in a last-ditch attempt to force Fury’s hand.
Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) dispatched IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds last month.
Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) is a former unified cruiserweight champ who is 2-0 as a heavyweight, having stopped Chazz Witherspoon in October 2019 and outpointed Derek Chisora this past October.
Joyce (12-0, 11 KOs) is coming off a break-through 10th-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in November, which put him in the title picture.
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