Trevor Bryan, who owns a piece of the WBA heavyweight title (much maligned, Bryan’s version of the WBA strap undeniably is), is looking forward to fighting tomorrow night on 89-year-old Don King’s troubled card set for Hollywood, Florida.
Bryan, who was supposed to be fighting Manuel Charr (also a claimant of a version of the WBA heavyweight title), has now, in light of Charr’s no-show, this ostensibly due to visa issues, told RingTV.com he would fight “whoever the hell shows up.”
Bryan, unbeaten at 20-0 yet inactive since his stoppage win over BJ Flores in August of 2018, says he would fight Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua if they turned up with gloves on tomorrow night (they won’t, of course). But in all seriousness, Bryan, still only 31, which is young for a modern-day heavyweight, says he will get the win tomorrow and that he will then be “aiming for the two big guys, AJ and Tyson Fury.”
Bryan sure is thinking big. To many fans, however, Bryan is a mystery. Inactive and not (yet) having been in with any elite heavyweights (the win over Flores, a natural cruiserweight, his biggest win to date), Bryan may or may not be the real deal. We probably won’t get an answer tomorrow, as it seems he will be facing faded, 42-year-old Bermane Stiverne. Bryan told Ring that this would be “a good fight,” but not too many people will be surprised if it turns out to be anything but. How much has Stiverne got left?
And if he does win tomorrow, will Bryan then remain active, or will he again disappear and endure another long spell of idleness? We just don’t know with Bryan. But in terms of adding another element to the heavyweight division, here’s hoping Bryan is the real deal and that he will remain active after picking up his first win in well over two years.
Bryan says he is “trying to get those belts back to America where they need to be.” If more fans had had a chance to see Bryan in action, perhaps they would be rooting for him to do just that.