Lennox Lewis was the last man to be crowned Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, and 23 years on he’ll be watching either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk claim the same title.
That’s if the fight is signed, although after a rough patch in negotiations things are looking up. Usyk has publicly accepted a 70/30 split in favour of Fury, and the promoters are said to be pushing ahead with the April 29 date at Wembley Stadium.
It means that the division will see a sole champion for the first time since Lewis, and the first time ever in the four-belt era, with the WBO now holding more weight alongside the WBC, IBF and WBA.
With terms finally agreed, Lewis took the Instagram to say that it was about time. He shared the news and said “hard to believe it’s taken this long.”
And he’s right. Over two decades with disputes as to who the best in a division is is a lengthy period of time, one which points to many complications in the sport that fans disagree with.
It’s not been for the want of trying either, with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in negotiations at one stage to make the four-belt clash, and then Joshua again with Fury.
If the Fury-Usyk fight somehow finds a way to fall through, it’s likely that mandatory challengers will be called and the opportunity could well pass.
As for who he reckons might win, it seems Lewis is siding with his countryman, Tyson Fury, to do the business. After his last fight with Derek Chisora, he told BT Sport:
“It has to be Tyson Fury right now. He’s been doing a lot of masterclasses recently, he’s got a great trainer, he uses the jab well, he boxes orthodox or southpaw and he’s just an exciting fighter.
I love when he fights, he’s entertaining and a warrior.”
Fury has confirmed he’s started training camp, and contracts are reportedly being prepared to be signed early this coming week.