By: Sean Cross
“This is a very good time to work together.”
WBC President Mauricio Suleiman spoke those exact words. Sky Sports on Monday. In doing so, Suleiman indicated that he would like to see a heavyweight title fight between WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in the near future. The winner of that bout will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis reigned supreme two decades ago.
“We’ve ordered a final elimination between Wilder and Andy Ruiz,” Sulaiman continued. “We don’t have mandatory challengers right now, so this is the perfect time for a merger.” Usyk was last seen in a rematch last summer against former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. As for Fury, It showed last Saturday in London, where he came out on top and stopped longtime rival Derrick Chisora. Anger and Usyk faced off after the fight. Anger hurled a barrage of insults at Usyk, but Usyk seemed unfazed.
Suleiman said the IBF could throw the proverbial wheel at Usic by asking Usic to face incumbent Filip Hrgovic to retain the IBF belt. “We hope it doesn’t get to that point,” Suleiman said, “and the four organizations agree to ratify the final undisputed fight and continue that way.” Although he said he understands that different sanctioning bodies have different rules, Suleiman made it clear that the opportunity to win the undisputed heavyweight champion should override other issues.
“The importance of this fight (the Fury-Usick match) is greater than any other organization,” he said. Fury is set to challenge Joshua for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship while Joshua still holds the belt. An American judge, however, ruled that Fury should fight his first opponent, Deontay Wilder, for a third time. Meanwhile, Joshua lost his title to Usyk.
