Former Cruiserweight World Champion, Tony Bellew, has had his say on what he thinks is the best fight to be made in an exciting heavyweight division.
The fighter-turned-pundit provided his thoughts in a column for DAZN, where he acknowledged the significance of an undisputed match-up between the two champions, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, but went on to name a fight that was more exciting in his eyes.
“Fury has recently mentioned the possibility of a fourth fight with Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk’s team have also claimed that they’d be interested in facing the powerful American. There’s also talk of Wilder taking on Andy Ruiz next year, but the fight I want to see is Wilder against Anthony Joshua, and I still think that’s the best contest that can be made at heavyweight from an entertainment perspective.”
“Fury and Usyk may have all the belts and potential bout between those two would generate incredible interest due to the titles and prestige on the line, but for an all-out battle, it just doesn’t do it for me the way Joshua vs. Wilder does. These are two fighters who’ve proved they are powerful, they both take risks, and there’s plenty of history between the pair as well. It’s nailed on to be a classic.”
Someone who agrees with Bellew is ‘The Bronze Bomber’ himself, having recently said that if he fought ‘AJ’ it would be the biggest fight the sport has to offer.
The American returns to the ring this weekend against a game Robert Helenius, and is looking to progress back to the top quickly after two consecutive defeats to Fury. Similarly, Anthony Joshua has to get back to winning ways having lost his last couple to Usyk. He’s expected to announce his next opponent soon.
With both men now in ‘comeback’ mode, a meeting in the ring in 2023 certainly wouldn’t be out of the question – however fans should look to the failing negotiations of the past as a warning before excitement kicks in.