Who Will Claim the Heavyweight Title After 25 Years?
On May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a pivotal fight is set to occur featuring WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBC titleholder Tyson Fury.
The winner of this match will be the first to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999, who secured this title by defeating Evander Holyfield.
At that time, the titles at stake were the WBA, WBC, and IBF. The WBO belt was recognized on par with the others only in 2007, meaning the upcoming fight between Fury and Usyk will be the first where all four belts are unified.
Here's why the heavyweight division has not seen an undisputed champion in the era of the four belts:
🔸 By the end of 2007, after the WBO title was acknowledged as equivalent, the heavyweight champions were:
- Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA
- Oleg Maskaev for the WBC
- Sultan Ibragimov for the WBO
- Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF
From 2008, Wladimir Klitschko began to dominate the super heavyweight division.
After a four-year hiatus, Vitali Klitschko returned to the ring and immediately reclaimed the WBC title. Nicknamed "Dr. Iron Fist," he defeated Sam Peter, who had earlier wrested the green belt from the Russian Maskaev.
Meanwhile, his brother, Wladimir, was accumulating all other titles. He first added the WBO belt to his IBF title by defeating Ibragimov. Then, in 2011, "Dr. Steel Hammer" triumphed over British fighter David Haye to capture the WBA title—the last belt not held by the Klitschko family.
The Klitschko brothers held all the major heavyweight belts simultaneously. Wladimir was the champion of the WBA, WBO, and IBF, while Vitali held the WBC title. A fight between them for the title of absolute world champion was impossible—they had never fought each other professionally and had always dismissed the idea throughout their sports careers.
🔸 Starting in 2014, the landscape of the heavyweight division began to change. Vitali Klitschko finally retired, relinquishing the WBC title, which the formidable American knockout artist Deontay Wilder picked up a year later.
"The Bronze Bomber" immediately became the prime target for Wladimir Klitschko, who aimed to reclaim the WBC title his brother had vacated and bring it back to the family. However, things did not go as planned. The Ukrainian was shockingly defeated by Tyson Fury, who initially took a hiatus after his victory over Wladimir and then announced his retirement. This led to the titles being dispersed once again.
🔸In 2018, two dominant figures emerged in the heavyweight division: Britain's Anthony Joshua, who had amassed the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, and WBC belt holder Deontay Wilder. Both were undefeated at that time.
Negotiations for a unification match between their teams repeatedly started but faltered. Different promoters, television channels, and the significant financial demands of the boxers were the main hurdles preventing the fight from being organized at that time—and still are, though for different reasons now.
🔸 Joshua and Wilder eventually experienced their first professional defeats without reaching an agreement for a head-to-head matchup. First, the Briton was beaten by Andy Ruiz, followed by Deontay losing to Tyson Fury, who had made a comeback.
However, A.J., unlike Wilder, could redeem himself by regaining his belts from Ruiz. He even successfully defended them once, knocking out Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev.
This solidified the British boxer's hold on the heavyweight title, with Joshua holding the WBA, WBO, and IBF championships and Fury holding the WBC title. The stage was set for a heated promotion of a match between the two Britons, aimed at determining the undisputed world heavyweight champion. Both fighters began their preparations and awaited the official fight announcement, which seemed imminent. But then, Wilder re-entered the scene.
The American successfully secured a third fight with Fury through legal means. The "Gypsy King" turned his focus back to Wilder, leaving Joshua to defend his titles against Usyk, who had moved up from cruiserweight to heavyweight. Fury managed to retain his championship, but Joshua did not. Anthony suffered two losses to the Ukrainian, paving the way for Usyk to take the Briton's place in a potential fight for the absolute world champion.
🔸 In early 2023, teams for Usyk and Fury began negotiations for a possible fight. The boxers even entered training camps.
It appeared to be the optimal time to arrange this match. The Ukrainian had confirmed his prowess in the heavyweight division by defeating Joshua in a rematch, and Fury had dispatched the mandatory challenger, Dillian Whyte. The path was now clear for a fight to determine the absolute champion.
Ultimately, the battle was called off. The primary reason was Fury's dissatisfaction with the payment he was to receive for this matchup. Consequently, Tyson mocked the Ukrainian and his team, setting forth unreasonable demands to which Usyk was surprisingly willing to consent, hoping to make the fight happen. Despite these concessions, the negotiations fell through.
Subsequently, each champion pursued separate paths—Usyk prepared to defend his belt against Dubois, while Fury prepared to fight with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
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On September 29, 2023, it was announced that Usyk and Fury had finally signed a contract for their fight, which was organized by Saudi Arabia. Turki Al-Sheikh, the Saudi General Entertainment Authority's chairman, met both fighters' financial demands. Usyk and Tyson signed personal contracts with the event organizers, ensuring no disputes over fee distribution.
Initially, the fight for the title of absolute champion in the heavyweight division between Usyk and Fury was scheduled for December 23 in Saudi Arabia. Still, it was postponed to February 17, 2024, due to an injury Fury sustained in the match with Ngannou. Two weeks before the fight, Tyson suffered a cut during sparring at his training camp, leading to another postponement. The new date is now set for May 18.