The question posed in the above headline: is the Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury winner the best heavyweight in the world – is a repeat question. Numerous people asked this exact same question ahead of Fury and Wilder’s first fight, back in December of 2018. But of course, we never got a winner, the two fighters with such different fighting styles and personalities instead of boxing to a draw.
But assuming we do get a winner in Las Vegas on Saturday night, what is the answer to this question? Some people, such as Eddie Hearn (who has already said that Anthony Joshua is the main man of the division and will remain as such post-February 22 until Wilder or Fury prove they can beat him) do say Joshua is the best. But in the opinion of many others, Saturday night’s winner will indeed be the main man.
Sure, AJ holds more belts than Saturday’s winner will carry out of the ring, but the Fury-Wilder winner (again, assuming there is one) will be A, unbeaten, B, a claimant of the lineal crown, and C, the holder of both the WBC and Ring Magazine titles. Will this trump Joshua in your opinion?
Of course, the best way, in fact, the only way, to end all debate regarding who is the absolute best, Wilder, Fury or Joshua, is for Saturday’s winner to get in there and fight Joshua. For all the marbles. For ultimate glory. For the undisputed heavyweight championship of planet earth. Oh, it sounds so simple.
But it is far from simple. As fans know, its already been oh, so tiresome waiting, and waiting, and hoping, and hoping, to see Joshua in the ring with either Wilder or Fury (the former especially). And what, if anything, makes you think it will be any simpler after this Saturday night? It won’t be.
But for my money, and maybe yours, Saturday’s winner (to repeat, assuming we do get one) IS the best big man on the planet. Fury and Wilder have at least had the courage to risk everything by fighting each other not once but twice (and it is entirely possible they could fight a third time) and for this, they deserve much respect.
And the winner deserves to be referred to as the best heavyweight in the world. It will be up to Joshua to prove otherwise. Regardless of what Eddie Hearn has said.
Agree or disagree?