Joshua Calls Fury A Fraud, Fury Calls Wilder A 20 Million Joke
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
The heavyweight boxing division remains in an ongoing state of emotional, financial and legal chaos. With or without the pandemic, the principal players are involved in dramatic infighting, legal, financial and emotional maneuvers, and have left the division in tatters. It remains up to the major promoter players like Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum. Money is no longer the principal consideration.
Who is the real champion, and who fights who, remain the lineal questions of note at this point in the heavyweight game in 2021.
As highlighted in an earlier editorial, Manuel Charr, the World Boxing Association champion in recess for four uears, is back in the mix after knocking out Christopher Lovejoy last week. Charr would be lined up for undefeated WBA regular champion Trevor Bryan, a Don King possession at present. Daniel Dubois will fight Bogdan Dinu for the WBA Interim world title. In effect, the WBA has created three additional heavyweight champions available for Anthony Joshua.
At age 35, undefeated Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce, who holds the World Boxing Council Silver Heavyweight title, as well as the British and European Heavyweight titles, must wait in line longer than Luis Ortiz did to get a shot at a version of the world heavyweight title, this after knocking out Dubois last year. Somehow the loser, Dubois, advanced instead of Joyce.
A United States civil arbitration ruling has put the Tyson versus Anthony Joshua bout scheduled for August 14, 2021, in Saudi Arabia into infinite limbo, with Fury now ordered to give Deontay Wilder his trilogy mandatory rematch on or before September 15, 2021. Fury, who called Wilder a joke, now claims Wilder wants 20 million dollars to step aside to allow Fury to fight Joshua, then he would fight the winner. Meanwhile, Matchroom Boxing is now faced with a World Boxing Organisation mandatory challenge for Joshua from Oleksandr Usyk, the former world cruiserweight champion turned heavyweight challenger. Joshua calls Fury a fraud, as he feels his 155 million dollars match was signed and agreed.
Wilder claims his water bottle was spiked before his rematch with Fury. Wilder sparring partner Malik Scott stated Wilder doesn’t want step aside money, he wants blood. Fury stated he’ll crack Wilder’s skull. Wilder would have it the other way around. When all the chatter is said and done, as Prince once sang, “Let’s Go Crazy.” The division is now nuts.
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