Bob Arum still on board for Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury undisputed fight
Lately in the boxing world there has been a significant amount of attention given to undisputed fights and champions. Super lightweight fighter Josh Taylor recently achieved undisputed status by toppling Jose Carlos Ramirez. Super welterweights Jermall Charlo and Brian Castaño attempted a bout for undisputed but were saddled with an unpalatable draw. Unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has been fraudulently claiming undisputed status for months. Then there was the would-be heavyweight bout for undisputed between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO’s) and Anthony Joshua.
While there is no question that would have been a global attraction, the fight was sidelined by legal obligations. Fury tried to walk away from a rematch with Deontay Wilder but was forced to fight when Wilder won his arbitration case. Now instead of each other, Fury will fight Wilder and WBA Super, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-1, 22 KO’s) will lock horns with Oleksandr Usyk.
IT’LL STILL BE GREATER LATER
Not only are the fighters still game but so are their promoters. Obviously both boxers must win their next matches or else the whole deal is null and void. Yet, provided that they are successful, there is little doubt that this prizefight will take center stage with remarkable speed. In fact, Fury’s co-promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, would love to fast-track that dustup as he told to Sky Sports.
“My position is: if Fury and Joshua win, screw any mandatories! Fury vs Joshua is the fight that people want to see. Period. End of story. That is an easy fight to make. It is not a hard fight to make. We had the fight rolling. The central elements had been taken care of. There were no problems, really, on the deal.”
Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who represents Joshua, is equally enthusiastic about the matter. For his part though, Hearn is somewhat more gung-ho than Arum. This is because Hearn feels like the bout can take place in the first quarter of 2022 while Arum is a bit more hesitant.
“The problem with Eddie? He cannot stop talking. When he says February, he is saying the fight will happen next year which is clearly correct. Joshua is fighting in September, we are fighting in October. Obviously [Joshua vs Fury] will take place next year. But February, March or April? That remains to be seen.”
A FEW MORE HURDLES
For fans of that potential mega-bout, it’s good news to hear that all the principal characters are still on board. Yet, as stated, both Fury and Joshua have very difficult fights ahead of them. In absolutely no way can these be viewed as “gimme fights.” So just like these eager promoters, we all are going to have to wait to see how the next several months play out in the ring.
By: Bakari Simpson
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