New undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is expected to be either stripped or vacate his IBF title by June 1st, making it available for the clash between Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh.
Rematch Clause with Fury Prompts Title Vacancy
Usyk is being stripped of his IBF strap because of his rematch clause with Tyson Fury, and his promoter Alex Krassyuk said last Saturday that they will be taking that fight next.
It’s still unknown if Fury will take the rematch with Usyk in October. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) lost to Usyk by a twelve-round split decision last Saturday night in Riyadh, and he looked quite bad.
The way the 35-year-old Fury performed, looking old and washed-up, it’s questionable whether he’ll take the rematch with Usyk.
If Fury chooses to go through with the second fight, it would be the ultimate gamble and perhaps a foolhardy one at that. Losing to Usyk a second time could wreck Fury’s chances for a mega-fight against Anthony Joshua.
What Fury should do if he still has a head on his shoulders is give up on the rematch clause with Usyk, and target the better-paying Joshua fight. Fury can always swing back to fight Usyk again after he fights Joshua once or twice
Fury was out on his feet in the ninth round after getting hit with a barrage of shots from Usyk. The referee inexplicably stopped the action to give Fury a standing eight count, which basically was a time-out to recover.
Fury was given a standing eight count because the ropes were holding him up, but many fans on social media interpreted the referee’s move as a superstar being given favoritism to keep him from being knocked out.
What’s Next? Joshua vs. the Winner of Hrgovic-Dubois
The mandatory for the IBF belt, Filip Hrgovic, wants his title shot and has no interest in waiting for the Fury vs. Usyk rematch to happen. Hrgovic is overdue for his IBF mandatory title shot.
As a result, Hrgovic will be fighting for the IBF belt within two weeks against Dubois once it’s stripped or vacated from the new champion Usyk.
Anthony Joshua is expected to fight the winner of the Hrgovic-Dubois match.
It’s disappointing that Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight championship reign will be short-lived, but it reflects the trouble dealing with four sanctioning bodies, each with its own mandatory requirements.
Ideally, fighters and their promoters should phase out the sanctioning bodies and focus on one belt. They won’t do that because, financially, it helps to have many titles instead of just one.
Read the full article here
