Wladimir Klitschko-Tyson Fury II logical if Anthony Joshua retires

There is one large exception to the stance that Wladimir Klitschko will only come back if the 48-year-old is facing a champion.

Because Tyson Fury is no longer wearing a belt, and Klitschko still longs to get another crack at the animated Brit who ended his 11-year run as heavyweight champion nearly a full decade ago.

While the assumption has been that boxing’s power brokers would love to finally arrange the long-anticipated bout between Fury and his former two-time-champion countryman Anthony Joshua, there are mounting industry questions over whether Joshua will fight again.

One prominent boxing official who discussed the matter briefly with a Joshua confidant while attending Fury’s unanimous-decision loss to three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia Dec. 21 said they were told Joshua might choose to end things following his four-knockdown defeat to new IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in September.

“Considering all the money [Joshua] has earned, it makes sense,” said the individual, who spoke to BoxingScene on the condition of anonymity because of potential business dealings hanging on Joshua’s decision.

Dubois, 27, battered Joshua at the scene of Klitschko’s final bout in 2017, Wembley Stadium.

Back then, Joshua won the Klitschko bout in a fight-of-the-year showing by 11th-round technical knockout, but against Dubois, the 35-year-old was decked in the first, third and fourth rounds before being counted out in the fifth.

“It was a one-sided, humbling loss, and considering you’d likely pick Fury over Joshua if they fought, does [Joshua] want to risk another bad defeat?” said a veteran fight maker who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of respect for Joshua’s ability to make his own decision.

As Joshua contemplates his future as the new year breaks, Klitschko would be a highly logical former champion to step in and create a massive bout with Fury, who complained of the scoring in his loss to Usyk that was decided by three 116-112 scorecards.

Fury, 36, was on the positive end of the scoring in November 2015, when he halted Klitschko’s extended run as champion by scores of 115-112, 114-113, 115-112 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The pair were contracted to stage a rematch, but Fury descended into an abyss of excess alcohol, drugs and food use, and wound up surrendering all of his belts before finally returning to the ring in June 2018. 

Earlier in December at the WBC Convention in Germany before the Usyk-Fury fight in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia power broker Turki Alalshikh mentioned his interest in staging a potential high-profile comeback bout for Klitschko.

Klitschko’s longtime promoter, Tom Loeffler, visited with Klitschko during fight week.

“Wladimir’s in tremendous shape, looks like he could step in the ring at any time,” Loeffler said. “It just depends on him. What’s the situation that would make him decide to come back? I know if he did come back he’d [prefer] to fight for a title because he doesn’t need the money. He’s not coming back just to start fighting guys in the division. I’m sure he’d want to have a meaningful fight. I can’t speak for him, except to say if anyone could [return and fight at the elite level] at his age, it’d be Wladimir.”

Loeffler said he’s received no firm directions from Klitschko over resuming his career. The promoter said he feels that by Klitschko intently watching fights like Usyk-Fury and others in Saudi Arabia that he is intrigued by a return.

“[Alalshikh] puts fights together that many people didn’t think were possible so I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened … but, again, that would be completely up to Wladimir,” Loeffler said.

Asked if a Fury rematch would spark Klitschko’s interest, Loeffler said of course.

“You’d have a lot of interest. [Klitschko] never got the rematch with Fury that he was contractually guaranteed, so I think that would definitely pique his interest,” Loeffler said. “I know, in the past, Wladimir always wanted that rematch … after Fury went on the bender, being over 400 pounds, and not fighting for more than two years – I think there were some other reasons for that – Wladimir never did get that rematch.

“So I do think that would be of interest to him now based on what he said in the past. Turki is definitely encouraging [Klitschko] to come back, so let’s see what happens on that one.”