One of the longest and most exhausting negotiations in boxing history finally came to an end yesterday, when Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury was officially announced to the public. The two fighters will face each other in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11 and, against all expectations, a world title will also be at stake: the WBA belt, which the organization has decided to put on the line in a highly questionable move.
One of the main reasons behind the prolonged wait was the fierce dispute over the location of the event. Dana White was pushing for New York, a venue reportedly favored by the broadcaster that will air the fight, namely Netflix. Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua, however, held the opposite view and were determined to enforce the preliminary agreement that had been signed, in which the United Kingdom was explicitly named as the country where the bout would take place.
Hearn appeared close to giving in to the wishes of the event’s main financial backers, first and foremost the controversial Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, but AJ apparently refused to budge, reportedly asking his promoter to walk away from the entire deal if British fans were denied the chance to watch the long-awaited domestic showdown live.
Both fighters appear to be in the twilight of their careers, at least judging by their most recent performances. Joshua was dropped twice by the modest Albanian Kristian Prenga before winning by knockout in the following round, while Fury needed no fewer than seven rounds to overcome 46-year-old Polish veteran Mariusz Wach, displaying a rather disappointing level of form.
Despite this, interest in the fight remains high in the UK, and it seems safe to expect the Principality Stadium to be packed in December with a huge crowd of fans eager to see their heroes fire what may be some of the final shots of their careers.
The WBA has raised the stakes even further and, as is often the case, has done so by making a highly controversial decision: its “Super World Champion” title will be awarded to the winner of the fight. The distinction previously belonged to Oleksandr Usyk before he decided to vacate all of his belts. Afterwards, “Regular” titleholder Murat Gassiev remained the WBA’s only champion, leading experts and analysts to reasonably interpret the situation as the Russian being elevated to the status of the organization’s official champion.
Instead, Gassiev will now once again become a “second-tier” titleholder, overtaken by two fighters who, despite their glorious pasts, have done nothing in recent times to justify being awarded a major world championship belt.
It seems entirely obvious that the WBA has acted this way purely for financial reasons. By putting its title on the line, the organization headed by Gilberto Mendoza will be entitled to collect a percentage of the purses earned by the two fighters, which are expected to be substantial. From a sporting perspective, however, the decision is absolutely appalling.