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The world of boxing has been abuzz in recent months with the possibility of an undisputed heavyweight championship showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. However, the ongoing negotiations have been marked by a series of gimmicks and demands, prompting the WBA to step in and order a title consolidation fight between Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
As the WBA Championship Committee Chairman Carlos Chavez explained, the deadline for Fury and Usyk to agree on the unification fight had passed, and now the mandatory fight between Usyk and Dubois will be ordered. While this news may come as a disappointment to some fans, it is a welcome move by the WBA to put an end to the buffoonery exhibited by the two best heavyweights in the world.
Usyk currently holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles, and all three have mandatory challengers waiting for their shot at the unbeaten two-division champ. The WBA is next in rotation, and Dubois is next up as the WBA ‘Regular’ heavyweight titlist. Fury, on the other hand, is the reigning WBC and lineal champion, but his reign is currently in the voluntary title defense phase as there is no mandatory challenger.
While the negotiations between Fury and Usyk have been ongoing, the WBA and IBF had to rescind their previous orders for Usyk to face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic next. Dubois has also been waiting for his mandatory status to be enforced, but the focus was on getting Fury-Usyk over the line. However, with the deadline passed, the WBA is right to order the mandatory fight between Usyk and Dubois.
It remains unclear what is happening behind the scenes, but publicly, the two camps have been engaging in ridiculous antics. Usyk’s career-long promoter, Alex Krassyuk, proposed a 60-40 split for the winner, but Fury dismissed the idea and instead offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal of 70-30 in his favor, with a one-percent deduction for every day that Usyk failed to close the deal. Usyk accepted but with his own stipulation that Fury donates a million pounds to Ukraine after the fight and pay one percent more from his purse for every day of delay.
This sort of buffoonery has gone on for too long, and it’s time for the fighters to stop the antics and get down to business. While Fury-Usyk would be a fantastic fight, it’s not the only fight that matters. Usyk-Dubois could also be an excellent fight, and it’s time for the mandatory challenger to get his shot. The WBA is justified in its action, and it’s a move that should be welcomed by all boxing fans.