Frank Warren: It Just Didn’t Happen
Amongst hardcore boxing fans, one of the most satisfying things to have happen is when fighters unify belts in their division. Even better than that is when a fighter can be crowned as the one undisputed champion of the weight class. For years, fight fans craved a showdown between former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (41-1-1, 41 KO’s) and WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (23-1, 21 KO’s).
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE
The fight was thrown a curveball when Joshua was soundly defeated by Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 KO’s). Thankfully for Team Joshua, and their legion of fans, AJ quickly was able to reclaim his belts six months later. At the moment, the Joshua v Wilder fight has been derailed now that the Bronze Bomber has taken a loss to Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO’s).
However, now that Fury has the WBC title, the attention for making a potential unification fight to determine an undisputed champion has now shifted to the Gypsy King. At the moment, it’s unclear what will happen with this would-be fight. At different times Fury, has made very drastically dissimilar statements about competing against AJ.
Prior to his fight with Wilder, Fury came off as rather uninterested in facing AJ. Yet, after the meaningful showdown, Fury has expressed some willingness to mix it up with the once beaten champion. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, on the other hand has been very vocal about wanting to put the fight together.
NO TRUTH TO IT
Regrettably however, in his eagerness to discuss and secure the mega-fight, Hearn has apparently told a fib or two. At least, this is what Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions, has made public knowledge. After Hearn assured members of the press that he had been in contact with Fury’s promotional team, Warren doubled back to tell Boxing Social that this was a total falsehood.
“Well Bob Arum and I did a press call last night with the press and as Bob said, it’s been no conversations have taken place, nor can they take place unless all interested parties sit around the table together. What he is saying, Eddie Hearn is untrue. Untrue, lie, whatever you want to call it. It just didn’t happen. Bob made that very clear last night. And it can’t happen without all the parties concerned sitting around the table.”
“This agenda is not being driven by anybody. It’s going to be all interested parties sitting down and making, with a common aim to make it happen. But before it happens, they’ve got contractual obligations, which I think I’ve been pointing out now for the last three months or so…there have been no discussions, it’s just total rubbish.” ~Frank Warren, Queensberry Promotion
By: Bakari Simpson
