It’s been an action packed three weeks or so for the heavyweight division.
Oleksandr Usyk’s points win against unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at the end of September sent shockwaves across the boxing world, while WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder produced a heavyweight fight for the ages on Saturday night.
Following Fury’s 11th round knockout win at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, DAZN devises a 2022 road map for boxing’s land of the giants.
Usyk vs. Joshua 2: Early 2022
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn revealed during DAZN’s broadcast of Smith vs. Fowler that the rematch clause has been triggered between Anthony Joshua and WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Negotiations for the fight are set to get underway at the end of October once Usyk’s manager Alexander Krassyuk has returned from holiday with March or April being touted as potential dates.
For Joshua’s career, the rematch against Usyk is a make or break. The former Team GB star was given a boxing lesson by Usyk on September 25 and led some doubting Joshua's abiltity to compete at the highest level. In the post-fight press conference, Joshua claimed he knew what needed improving, but whether he can put it into practice is another challenge entirely.
The winner of this much-anticipated rematch will most likely face the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin for the undisputed heavyweight championship towards the end of 2022.
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin: Early 2022
Tyson Fury’s 11th round knockout win against Deontay Wilder on Saturday night closed the book on what has been a thrilling heavyweight trilogy. Wilder has been a nuisance to The Gypsy King for three years and now he can finally move on from the one-punch knockout artist.
What next for Fury was a question immediately being asked by fans, former fighters and journalists, and the answer is simple.
Before the third Wilder fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman made it clear that the winner on Saturday night must face Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin next. The two heavyweights go head-to-head on October 30 exclusively live on DAZN.
A potential all-British heavyweight showdown between Fury and Whyte has got fans excited, both men can certainly talk so the build-up will be fascinating and the fight itself could prove to be another heavyweight classic.
Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua or Andy Ruiz Jr.: Mid/Late 2022
A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the head of Deontay Wilder after being knocked out by Tyson Fury.
Does Wilder retire after a 45-fight career, or does he get back in the ring and look to reassert himself on the world stage?
If ‘The Bronze Bomber’ does decide to return to the ring, Andy Ruiz Jr. seems like an ideal opponent. Both men are former world champions, both are under the PBC banner and a Cinco De Mayo fight night would provide the perfect backdrop for an intriguing contest.
There is also still a chance of a future fight with Anthony Joshua next year. If Joshua fails to get past Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch, then the two could meet in a heavyweight slugfest. However, if negotiations for a potential fight between the two in 2018 were anything to go by, it’ll be a long, frustrating, and drawn-out process.
Undisputed world heavyweight championship fight: Late 2022
Boxing fans could almost taste it earlier this year when a deal was done for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to square off in Saudi Arabia in an undisputed heavyweight championship fight.
A US court then decided to spoil these dreams last May when it forced a third fight between Deontay Wilder and Fury to take place which immediately scuppered any plans of an all-British undisputed showdown.
However, there is still a chance an undisputed heavyweight title fight could happen at some point next year. Whoever wins Usyk vs. Joshua 2 will have their eyes set on that iconic green and gold WBC belt, and if Fury comes out of his mandatory title defence unscathed, the Ring Magazine’s number one ranked heavyweight will want to cement his legacy as one of the best fighters to lace up the gloves and what better way to do that than having all five world heavyweight title belts.