As fans know, rival heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are all set to get it on in a historic four-belt unification clash on February 17th. And now, in speaking with Sky Sports, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says former heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua could very possibly fight each other next year in a final eliminator for the WBC belt the Fury-Usyk winner will hold.
“It looks like Wilder and Joshua are on a collision course,” Sulaiman said. “That could very well be a final elimination to decide a mandatory contender for the WBC title.”
Sulaiman confirmed to Sky Sports that his organisation’s world title will be on the line on February 17th, and in the expected return fight between Fury and Usyk also. And, if Wilder and Joshua both win on December 23rd, with AJ facing Otto Wallin and Wilder facing former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker, the two could face each other in what would be a huge fight in 2024.
Sulaiman says it is his “dream” to see an undisputed world heavyweight champion, and he says the upcoming December card in Saudi Arabia will result in “a different picture in the [heavyweight] rankings.”
“In itself it is a natural WBC elimination tournament,” Sulaiman said of the December 23 card. “You have Wilder, number-one, Joshua, you have Parker, you have Otto Wallin, all those are highly ranked in the WBC. After December 23 we’re going to see a different picture in the rankings. It looks like Wilder and Joshua are on a collision course. That could very well be a final elimination to determine a mandatory contender for the WBC title. Unbelievable. That would be a dream come true for the fans. I am very happy to see the promoters collaborating, the managers, the fighters. Of course there’s big money involved but you have to make it. You can dream of things, we have been dreaming for this and this is the perfect moment to get into another era of boxing.”
It really would be great for us fight fans if we got to see Fury-Usyk I and II, and Wilder-Joshua, with the winner to fight the eventual winner of the Fury-Usyk rivalry. It all seems so simple, but we all know its rarely if ever simple in the sport of boxing. But if – and it’s a hopefully written ‘but if’ – Fury and Usyk do fight twice, and if Joshua and Wilder do fight, with the winner to then face either fury or Usyk, the heavyweight division will be in absolutely great shape.
Sulaiman is dreaming, and so can we.