In a perfect world….. Ideally, as indeed all fight fans will agree, the winner of the recently officially announced all-British heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, who will contest the vacant IBF belt, will go on to face the winner of the scheduled return fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. Usyk, of course, defeated Fury to become the first unified heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The two are set to hook up again a few days before Christmas, but it will not be for the four belts. No matter, the winner of the December fight will be – as Usyk is recognized as the heavyweight champion right now. So, of course, Joshua, if he is victorious, or Dubois, if he wins the September fight, will want a crack at the winner.
And promoter Frank Warren says this will happen: the two winners will get it on. So, will we see a Fury-Joshua fight at last? Or, if Usyk repeats his win over Fury (as so many experts feel will be the case) and Joshua beats Dubois, could it be Usyk Vs. Joshua III? Perhaps the most unexpected scenario here would be a Dubois-Fury fight for all the marbles. While we could potentially see a Usyk-Dubois II, anything could happen.
We fans would take any of the possible matchups. Still, Usyk has said that should he repeat his win over Fury, with nothing else to prove at heavyweight, he would perhaps drop back down to cruiserweight in an attempt at unifying all the belts there again. Again, anything could happen.
But Warren is sure the winner of the September 21 fight will next face the winner of the December 21 fight.
“All roads will lead to unification again,” Warren said to Sky Sports today. “He’s [Usyk] getting a massive payday for the rematch that he was contracted for against Tyson [Fury]. That’s what the position is. It’s pure business as far as he’s concerned. If it were about holding onto the belts, he wouldn’t have relinquished (the IBF title). He’s in it for the money, and obviously, the rematch is a massive fight everyone wants to see. Whatever happens, the winner of this fight on September 21, which will be Daniel, will fight the winner of that fight, and the four belts will be back on the line again.”
While it’s unfair to say Usyk is purely “in it for the money,” Usyk will take the rematch with Fury to prove his superiority again. Uysk could so easily have announced his retirement after thrashing Fury in May, yet he will be a man of his word again and honor the rematch clause that, remember, Fury was dead against being in place in the lead-up to their fight.
Usyk is now the top dog of the heavyweight division, and Fury, Joshua, and Dubois, all of whom have been beaten by him, know it. Usyk won’t be around forever, so we must enjoy his few remaining fights. Will it be a second Usyk win over Fury, and if so, what then……Usyk-Joshua III or Usyk-Dubois II?