Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk, for the undisputed heavyweight title in May, was a much-needed fight – not least because of how long it took to actually be staged. Not only was it really important, it was an excellent, competitive, dramatic fight.
It was similarly refreshing that the rematch, scheduled for December 21, was announced as quickly and seamlessly as it was. Boxing, on one of those rare occasions, was working like it should – and the world had a rematch to look forward to for which the outcome will be just as difficult to predict.
What the intervention of the IBF, which has contributed to Usyk vacating their heavyweight title and Daniel Dubois being elevated to champion, has done is needlessly robbed Usyk-Fury II of its status as an undisputed heavyweight title fight and therefore some of its appeal.
This nature of political nonsense – because, really, that’s all it is – not only demeans the sport, it demeans the IBF as an organisation. Whenever the sanctioning bodies behave like this it undermines their already damaged reputations. Everyone knows about their often-dubious business practices; decisions like this one just highlight those practices somewhere everyone can see them. Again, it’s shown boxing to be so flawed a sport, and the extent to which meritocracy really matters. A champion, too often, is not a champion. Usyk and Fury, legitimately, are the heavyweight division’s top-two fighters. How can anyone justify taking a title away from them and making it available elsewhere?
In 2014 I was stripped of my WBO junior-welterweight title when I moved up to fight Manny Pacquiao, having been told that I wouldn’t be. The latest makes me sad on behalf of Usyk, his supporters, and his country, Ukraine. It also makes me sad for Fury, who won’t have the opportunity to win the undisputed title he’s spoken about wanting so much. It’s a bad look for all concerned.
I’d understand it more if Filip Hrgovic had beaten Dubois, because he’d been waiting for a long time to fight for the IBF title. Dubois impressively beat Hrgovic after beating Jarrell Miller, but before that he lost to Usyk, so elevating him to the status of champion makes no sense at all.
It means so much to me that I became a champion by beating a defending champion in Ruslan Provodnikov, instead of by winning a vacant title. Vacant titles are rarely contested by the number one and number-two contender; it’s usually a fighter who’s been anointed against another considered a suitable dance partner. For an active fighter to be declared champion outside of the ring must be even less satisfying. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to consider myself a legitimate champion.
It was also the IBF that stripped Terence Crawford of their welterweight title in the aftermath of him defeating Errol Spence – in another long-awaited, significant fight – to win the undisputed title. I believe that they’re attempting to make a stand – compare their stance, for example, to the perception that the WBC are too favourable to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. But the times they’ve chosen to do so haven’t made sense, and the other sanctioning bodies simply don’t care that they are.
Dubois-Joshua, in isolation, is a terrific fight. Dubois showed his heart against Miller and Hrgovic – he’s a big, athletic heavyweight who can take and throw a punch – and to the extent that Usyk’s victory over him is ageing well. Dubois broke Hrgovic’s will, and across those two fights transformed his career. Joshua has also looked phenomenal lately, having previously looked very vulnerable. Both have looked vulnerable and come to look very dangerous at the right time – an exciting shootout can be expected at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
Boxing promoters, and sanctioning bodies, typically play chess, not checkers. They’re thinking several moves ahead. Making Dubois-Joshua for the IBF title isn’t to sell Dubois-Joshua; it’s to make another massive heavyweight fight between the winner of this and Usyk-Fury II in the first quarter of 2025. But if Usyk beats Fury again, rematches between he and Dubois or Joshua won’t become more appealing. Equally, if Fury and Dubois win, Fury-Dubois would already have the appeal of being a fight between the UK’s two leading heavyweights. Even if Fury loses, we’d all still want to see him fight Joshua. The longer game doesn’t justify Usyk-Fury II not being for the undisputed title.
It’s hard not to get angry at developments like this. Deserved champions seeing their titles go elsewhere – for the sake of, who knows what? – degrades what the championships mean and cheapens the sanctity of the sport. Every champion gets affected when things like this happen, and the public can see the damage it does as well. But those who run the sport don’t care.
Dubois was asked how he felt about winning the title outside of the ring. “I’m glad I’ve got it but I wasn’t sweating over it,” he said. “It’s a formality – if you keep winning you’ll get these titles. For me the belts and all that are great but these fights themselves are like world-title fights. ‘AJ’ doesn’t need a belt to be the top draw – it’s all about how you perform in the ring in front of a crowd.”
No one has more of an incentive than he does to promote the IBF heavyweight title, so I can’t help but admire his mentality – which is that of a real fighter. It’s often said of fighters, ‘He’s a fighter’, but many nowadays don’t have that fighter’s mentality. They don’t want to fight everyone around them or necessarily care about defending their titles.
Dubois showed his mettle against Hrgovic. Saying that showed again he’s a real fighter and championship calibre – and that he one day might win a title in the ring.
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