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WBC champion Tyson Fury may have only won one of four recognized heavyweight world championships, but he is widely regarded as the top man in the sport’s most prestigious division. However, being a “man” comes with many complications, and Fury’s near-term future is full of possibilities and overshadowed by potential complications.
While all eyes are on a four-belt unification battle with Oleksandr Usyk, the pair may have something to deal with before they could face a showdown. Dealing with it with mandatory opponent Dillian Whyte proved complicated by having both men put their pen to paper.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best big men in the sport in early 2022.
Will Tyson Fury have a chance to unify the heavyweight title in 2022?
All of this is up in the air at the moment. There are two paths that could lead to a unification bout with WBO, WBA and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk. First, Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) could have a fight with WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte while he waits for a rematch between Usyk and Anthony Joshua – Joshua has contract guarantees after Usyk beat him for the belt rematch. Alternatively, Joshua could take concession funds to keep the unification round going. All four sanctioning bodies will happily exclude any mandatory opponents in favor of a four-belt unification round.
Reports suggest that Joshua has agreed to pay $15 million to walk out and guarantee he will fight the winner of Fury vs. Usyk. Joshua has since rebutted those reports.
Dillian Whyte’s case
White spent more than 1,000 days as a mandatory challenger for the WBC title, eventually losing his status when he was knocked out by Alexander Povetkin in August 2020. White will avenge the loss in March 2021, regaining the WBC interim title and his status as “next man.” Unfortunately for White, over the past few years, the WBC has been willing to accept rather than enforce For his position, there are ever greater struggles.
It’s boxing, with the WBC alternating between ordering Fury vs. Whyte to eventually happen, suggesting they’ll allow Fury to take on the non-championship fight to come and reorder the purse bid in an unprecedented 80/20 ratio in favor of Fury. Wallet splits were a problem for White and his promoter Eddie Hearn, who said that if the split was in place, the deal would not go through. The wallet bid has been postponed several times, and the WBC now says January 26 is the last date for the two parties to reach an agreement before a wallet bid can take place.
What other names are on the table?
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Naganuu: Let’s get this out of the way in advance. Although both Ngannou and Fury have talks, this fight won’t happen in the near future. Ngannou’s contract dispute with the UFC could drag on for a year or more. Additionally, Ngannou’s trainer advises that preparing for such a challenge requires years of dedicated boxing training. Not to mention that after his most recent win, Ngannou pointed out that he suffered a torn MCL and an ACL injury in training camp that required surgery. Still, a potential fight will continue to grab the headlines as both sides continue to pitch each other.
Robert Helenius: At one point, Bob Arum said the WBC had given Fury special authority to play in a non-championship fight in his next fight. Helenius was one of two names that surfaced at the time. If White’s situation falls apart, Helenius could have a chance to capitalize on the highest momentum of his career after back-to-back victories over Adam Kownacki.
Andy Ruiz Jr.: Ruiz is another name mentioned in non-title situations. As the WBC’s No. 3 heavyweight, if Fury needs an opponent, belt or not, he can easily get the call.
Expected return date
Late March was the initial plan for Fury’s next fight. Of course, that was before talks and bids with Whyte hit a wall several times, and news broke that Joshua might be pulling out to open the battle for Usyk. Things change quickly in the boxing world, which could mean that the March 26 date is locked into the end of January, or that Fury’s next fight takes place in the summer.
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