By Norm Frauenheim-
It’s hard to know what to make of talks for an Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk fight, especially in the turbulent wake of an arbitrator’s ruling that ended any chance of a Joshua-Tyson Fury showdown in August.
After months of nothing but rumors and unfounded promises, caution is the only way to approach today’s heavyweight division.
Here’s what we do know: Fury has moved on, almost seamlessly, to an agreement to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time on July 24, reportedly somewhere in Las Vegas.
What we don’t know involves Joshua, whose plans and training were disrupted by a former federal judge’s unexpected interpretation of the Joshua-Wilder contract, signed before their second bout and won by Fury in a one-sided stoppage.
Fury looked to be ready for a Joshua bout in Saudi Arabia for a share of oil money reported to be $155 million. Not so fast, the ex-judge ruled. First, fight Wilder.
The immediate guess was that Joshua would move on to the Usyk option as quickly as Fury did. Not so fast.
An early reason for caution surfaced this week. Joshua-Usyk was supposed to be announced Tuesday, the deadline set by the World Boxing Organization for what is supposed a mandatory defense for Joshua.
Mandatory has become a euphemism for messy in today’s acronym-speak. It has led to lousy bouts and all of the usual threats to vacate or strip.
According to news reports, the WBO granted an extension. What else was it going to do? Grant a pardon? It wants the sanctioning fee. The WBO didn’t grant anything. It said, yeah, please take all the time you need to get this done.
Maybe, a deal gets announced within a few days. That would be the good news.
Maybe, talks get extended for another week or two. That’s kind of the same-old-news, given what happened with Fury-Joshua.
Going to a purse bid would be the next step in a tiresome process. That would mean an 80-20 split, the lion’s share going to Joshua
But Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn made that sound unlikely. At least, he did in comments after lightweight Devin Haney’s decision over Jorge Linares last Saturday.
“We’ll either make a deal or we’ll vacate,” Hearn said. “I mean, we won’t be going to purse bids or anything like that.’’
Hearn also forecast that there would be an extension beyond Tuesday’s deadline.
“I do think where we are with negotiations, we would probably say to the WBO: ‘If there’s no deal by Monday or Tuesday, could we have another week, please?’ Hearn said. “Like if both teams say that, then they’ll give you more time, you know?”
Of course. Say no and there’s no fee.
This time, however, there are back-up possibilities, options if for some reason Usyk does not agree to terms. There were none, at least none apparent in the headlong pursuit of Joshua-Fury, still the only heavyweight fight that really matters.
The names of Dillian Whyte, Luis Ortiz and Andy Ruiz Jr. were dropped as possibilities in the event of no agreement with Usyk.
Whyte, a British heavyweight fresh off a stoppage of Alexander Povetkin in March, would keep Joshua’s UK base of fans happy. In the United States? A collective yawn.
The aging Ortiz still has a respected skill set. Yet, the Cuban doesn’t do much to excite fans anxious to see Joshua face the new, instead of the shopworn. It’s a stay-busy date.
Ruiz? A third fight would do well with Mexican-Americans, a key fan demographic on any continent. It also might be an opportunity for Joshua to answer some questions, still lingering after his loss to Ruiz in a 2019 stunner followed by a scorecard victory in a cautious decision in a rematch. A knockout of Ruiz would knock out some of the doubts.
The doubts about Joshua are still there, reflected by odds that had been posted for the expected Fury fight. Fury was a slight favorite, minus-175, which translates to a 63.6-percent of victory.
In Usyk, Joshua would encounter a newly-minted heavyweight, one who hopes to make himself the reigning face of the division. There are still plenty of questions about Usyk after just two bouts in the division. The former cruiserweight champion looked tentative. There were some inevitable questions about his power. But the promise is still intact. Hype and expectations are there.
Joshua-Usyk would be easy to sell. Hopefully, easy to make, too.
