Fight of the Year Claim: How Usyk Can Avoid Joshua and Fight Fury

The duel between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury can rightly be called one of the most anticipated in 2022.

Because some of the strongest heavyweight boxers in the 21st century can converge in it and determine the first absolute world champion since Lennox Lewis.

However, until the last days there was no reason to seriously talk about holding this fight.

Anthony Joshua, who lost to the Ukrainian in September, still had the right to a mandatory rematch and was going to use it.

But, as it became known to The Telegraph, the Briton had good reasons to refuse a return fight and let his compatriot go ahead.

According to the publication, Joshua can receive £15 million if he does not activate the option in the contract and insist on an immediate rematch with Usyk. In this case, Alexander will be free to fight any other opponent, in particular Fury. Yes, theoretically, one more boxer, the holder of the interim WBC title Dillian Whyte, can prevent the organization of the unification fight. At the moment, he is the mandatory contender for the belt and may require a meeting with Tyson. But in this case, everything can be decided by a substantial amount of compensation.

True, Joshua's refusal to re-fight with Usyk has not yet been officially documented.

Moreover, the other day the Briton posted a video on social networks, noting that he had not yet agreed to give Fury the right to fight the Ukrainian.

However, journalists believe that the British boxer is still considering this possibility and is likely to agree.

“I hear people say: “AJ agrees to £ 15 million for refusing (from the fight with Usyk. -

).

I didn't sign the contract, I didn't see it.

In any case, do not listen to information from other sources until I say it personally.

I am a person who controls my own destiny, business.

I am smart and make informed decisions at every stage, ”said Joshua.

The intention to arrange a battle between Usyk and Fury was reported back in early December, but the story received development only a month and a half later.

The promoter of the Ukrainian Alexander Krasyuk did not give a clear answer to the question of holding a rematch between Alexander and Anthony, but at the same time promised to reveal all the details in the near future.

Subsequently, the head of Matchroom Boxing Promotions Eddie Hearn commented on the rumors.

“Everyone knows that some people have a desire to try to organize a fight between Fury and Usyk.

For it to happen, a lot of things have to happen.

And I'm not talking about the delay in trading.

No, we are not going to wait to see if an agreement is reached on a Fury-White fight to announce a date for Usyk vs Joshua," Hearn told iFL TV.

According to the promoter, it will not be possible to arrange a unification fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight boxing champion in the near future.

Hearn is confident that Usyk will still have to fight Joshua in a rematch, and Fury will face off against White.

The fight for the WBC title could take place as early as March 26 if Tyson's side wins the bid.

Apparently, the next week will be decisive in organizing the battle between Usyk and Fury.

This was confirmed by the British promoter Frank Warren, noting that he does not leave active attempts to bring the two athletes together in the ring.

“We are still working on it, but I believe that we will make progress over the weekend and then we will have something to announce.

Everyone in boxing wants to see a unification fight.

between Tyson and Usyk, I just want to see him as a fan.

So this is the fight that we are trying to arrange," Warren told The Sun.

This information was also confirmed by Usyk's representative.

Krasyuk said that the parties have been discussing this duel since the fall, but the mandatory rematch with Joshua does not allow dotting the i's.

“Negotiations with the Fury team are really there. They have been underway since November, but we don't have any signed contracts yet. So I can't give any specifics. But yes, I confirm, talk about this fight continues. We have obligations to Anthony Joshua's team regarding the return fight, so we coordinate all our actions with Joshua, with Matchroom Boxing. Now we are negotiating a fight with Tyson Fury. If we cannot reach a compromise on this matter, a rematch with Anthony remains the basic option, ”Tribuna quotes Krasyuk.

Of course, in terms of reputation, Joshua's refusal to fight Usyk can be negatively perceived by his fans.

In September, the Ukrainian outplayed the opponent and demonstrated that he had not only gaps in boxing technique, but also mental problems.

In the course of the fight, Anthony looked lost and did not even try to seize the initiative, which looked strange, given his size.

As a result, the Briton lost by unanimous decision.

And although in an interview with Stuff Joshua said that he was extremely motivated on the eve of the rematch and intends to regain the lost trophies, his readiness for a return duel with Usyk raises questions.

A few months is clearly not enough to not only recover from such a weak-willed defeat, but also prepare for revenge.

But Joshua needs not only to pick up the keys and adapt to Usyk's extremely uncomfortable style for him, but also to become the fearless fighter he was before the first meeting with Andy Ruiz.

The heavy knockout broke the Briton and forced him to act much more carefully, focusing on working from a distance and trying to outbox opponents.

However, in the battle with the Ukrainian, such a plan was doomed to failure.

Perhaps it will be beneficial for Joshua to either take a short break from performances and focus on training, or fight a less powerful opponent.

For example, the same White, who risks being left without a fight.

Undoubtedly, the duel with Dillian will not be a cakewalk for Anthony, but it certainly promises to be not as discouraging as the rematch with Alexander.

As for the possible confrontation between Usyk and Fury, it promises to be one of the largest not only in 2022, but also over the past ten years. The heavyweight division has always been considered the most prestigious, and the fight for the status of the absolute champion is doomed to become one of the most anticipated and discussed. At least for the reason that the last time it was possible to combine belts for all major versions in 2000. True, then it was enough for Lewis to collect the WBA, WBC and IBF trophies.

However, Usyk's encounter with Fury is also interesting for another reason. On paper, it is very difficult to imagine how the Ukrainian is able to present another sensation and take over the undefeated Briton. He is 15 cm taller and has a colossal advantage in physical strength, but at the same time he is unlikely to be noticeably inferior in mobility and technique. Despite the huge mass (in the last two fights with Deontay Wilder, he weighed more than 123 kg), the WBC champion has excellent footwork and is able to both arrange a cabin in the ring and box at a distance. In this regard, he is noticeably superior to Joshua. And this despite the fact that Anthony won the London Olympics, and his compatriot did not qualify for the Games in Beijing.

Usyk's team also admitted that for him the battle with Fury promises to be more difficult than with Joshua.

According to Krasyuk, if the Briton is well prepared and extremely motivated, he will be able to create problems for the Ukrainian.

He noted that until now Tyson had not met opponents of the caliber of Usyk and criticized his actions in the third fight with Wilder.

The promoter stated that he moved worse, paid much less attention to strategy and boxed less technically.

Of course, many experts noted that Fury's style has changed since the transition under the leadership of Sugarhill Steward.

He became a less inventive and subtle boxer, relying on "physics", constant pressure and heavy punches.

And there is reason to believe that in the battle with the mobile Usyk he will not be able to do the same as in the confrontation with the static Wilder.

But do not forget that Alexander himself, although he outboxed the same Anthony, missed quite a few strong blows, and in one of the episodes he was even close to a knockdown.

And if the slow Joshua managed to get it, then his compatriot has every chance of it.