Former world heavyweight champion Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs predicts Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder 42-1-1 (41) and Oleksandr Usyk 18-0 (13) will face off for the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
For that to happen, American Wilder will need to get past current WBC boss Tyson Fury 30-0-1 (21) in Las Vegas on July 24, while Ukrainian southpaw Usyk has to upset WBA, WBO and IBF kingpin Anthony Joshua 24-1 (22).
British duo Fury and Joshua were on the verge of announcing their rare four-belt unification bout in Saudi Arabia on August 14 but an arbitration ruling last week determined that Fury must honour his contractual obligation to face Wilder for a third time.
The 32-year-old Fury knocked out Wilder, 35, in seven rounds in Las Vegas in February last year following their controversial split draw in Los Angeles in December 2018.
Joshua, 31, is overdue to face WBO mandatory and former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk.
Briggs, who held the WBO title in 2006 after defeating Siarhei Liakhovich by 12th round knockout, can see the underdogs getting up in both of those fights.
“Don’t sleep on Wilder,” Briggs told Sky Sports. “Throughout the history of the boxing world, he is a freak of nature. He could crack anybody and knock them out with his power. We don’t know what he will come with in this fight.
“He might shock the world. Fury might have the wrong idea. If this guy knocks out Fury, then what? It is possible. Will there be a fourth fight?
“Fury can’t sleep on Wilder. With those skinny legs he shouldn’t hit that hard. But he hits sickly hard. It isn’t normal to hit that hard. But he can’t fight backing up.”
Fury boxed Wilder in their first fight and was dropped twice late in the fight, salvaging a draw for Wilder. In their rematch took the fight to Wilder and forced him onto the back foot, dropping him in the third and fifth rounds before the towel came in during the seventh.
Briggs doesn’t see Joshua having an easy time with Usyk either, who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over perennial contender Dereck Chisora 32-11 (23) last October in his second fight in the open weight class.
“The fight to get ready for is Usyk vs Wilder. We might have to get ready for that,” he said.
“Tough, tough, tough fight (for Joshua). A guy like that? Who can work like that? He is a king-sized Vasiliy Lomachenko.
“As the rounds go on, he gets stronger. The best chance for AJ is to catch him early. AJ is strong early, Usyk is strong late.
“This is AJ’s toughest fight – equally as tough as AJ versus Fury. If the ring is big, he [Usyk] will be hard to catch.”
