“The World Heavyweight Championship Comes Back To New York,” is the tag-line right at the top of the fight poster hyping the legendary (and controversial) 1976 clash between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton. At the time of the rubber-match between “The Greatest” and “Jaw Breaker”(the nicknames both men enjoyed on said poster) it had been some time since a big world heavyweight clash had taken place in New York – and it’s the same here today.
But this summer that is expected to change. According to a piece from The Mail, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are on the verge of sealing a deal to box their eagerly anticipated (demanded even) rematch at Madison Square Garden on May 18, while an announcement is imminent for Anthony Joshua to defend his belts against Jarrell Miller in New York on June 1st.
It should be quite a hot summer for fans of the heavyweight division; those that live in New York especially. No matter who wins either fight, the belts will stay in New York for a while at least. Might Joshua decide to fight in New York again assuming he is victorious against “Big Baby?” Maybe Wilder, if he can topple Fury this time round, will choose to continue plying his trade in The City That Never Sleeps. Or if Fury can get the win this time, might he choose to fight again in New York?
The history of boxing, in all weight divisions, runs deep in New York of course, and for many old timers this was, and still is, THE place for boxing – for the big fights. In an ideal world, the winners of the May and June fights would then fight each other, and what better a venue for such a super-fight than the most legendary fight arena on the planet!
AJ is widely expected to take care of business against the untested Miller, while the Wilder/Fury rematch could go either way; anything could literally happen. But both fights promise to be lively affairs for however long they last. And if you live in or close to New York, you’re going to be there, right? Whether it’s live at the venue or in a bar adjacent to MDSG, the nights of May 18 and June 1 figure to be special, and quite nostalgic.