One of the worst things that can happen in the sport of boxing is when you wait for something to happen too long. For as many great matchups as we have seen over the years, the sport of boxing is also full of “fantasy matchups” that never materialized for certain reasons.
Fights like a dream heavyweight matchup between Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe, as well as the potentially-discussed Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Juan Manuel Lopez featherweight duel, are two scenarios of matches we never got to see. And even though Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao did face each other, the fact that it took five years of negotiating and back-and-forthing to get the deal done, somewhat left a bad after taste, as each man was already past their peak at that point.
So, when it came to the Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight unification, the thought of the matchup between the two men became frustrating when a deal couldn’t get done this year to finalize things. Joshua, the IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion, is now set for a Sep. 22 fight vs. Former champion Alexander Povetkin while Wilder, the WBC champion, now appears headed towards a lucrative showdown with outspoken former champion Tyson Fury.
It’s quite a change, to say the least. The public has been eyeing Wilder vs. Joshua all this year, and the many headlines on the possible fight came rampant. Wilder seemed to the be one who wanted the push the fight the most, from even offering Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, with a reported $50 million offer. Joshua seemed to brush Wilder to the side often, perhaps hinting that he wasn’t as ready for such a fight. The conversation on the fight grew stale and each man moved on, at least for now, when it became obvious the fight wasn’t going to happen this year.
But in the wake of all this, we now have one of the most mouth-watering fights available, as Fury, the giant with an affable nature and awkward and effective fighting style, will surely prove to put Wilder to the test. The two memorably faced off in the center of the ring a few years ago, and that confrontation alone was worth the price of admission. One can only imagine the kind of pre-fight hype and theatrics that will be taking place once things get rolling.
It appears that the fight is set for December in Las Vegas, although other reports indicate maybe we will be seeing this one on November 10 or November 17. What makes this such a good fight is that Wilder (40-0, 39 KO’s) has been dying for a high-profile opponent while Fury (26-0, 19 KO’s) too needs a big name, as he is on the comeback hunt this year.
The 29-year old from the United Kingdom defeated Sefer Seferi on June 9 (his first fight ins nearly 2 1/2 years) and he has to get past Francesco Pianeta on August 18 to make the Wilder fight a reality.
This is a great matchup for the heavyweight division, pitting the grit, power, and athleticism of Wilder against Fury’s size, style, and talent. Not what we may have expected, but definitely a fight worth checking out.
