Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to make history on February 17, with one man leaving the ring as the first sole champion in the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis graced the sport.
Following failed negotiations earlier this year, the emergence of Saudi Arabia in big time boxing has motivated the two fighters enough to get in the ring.
Undisputed is the goal of every championship boxer, but it comes around very little and the opportunities are often fleeting.
That’s set to be the case now, as the IBF has made it clear the winner must face its mandatory challenger, Filip Hrgovic, immediately after the contest. A contracted rematch clause will prevent that, meaning the IBF belt will be stripped.
According to Fury though, the sanctioning body may not get a chance to before he vacates. Speaking to Boxing Social and other media, ‘The Gypsy King’ made it clear what titles and accolades he cares about.
“I will beat Oleksandr Usyk. I am the WBC Champion, and the Lineal Champion, and I will be Ring Magazine Champion for the third time. The rest of it I’m not so concerned about
I’ll just vacate the belts and let somebody else have a go at all them. I’ll just keep my own stuff.”
Becoming four-belt champion in the heavyweight division is the only real goal left for both men, and fans would not be surprised to see the winner of the February bout hang up the gloves.
If they don’t, the rematch clause is the loser’s to activate, meaning we will see what’s expected to be a chess-match rather than a brawl twice in a row.