Carl Froch has said he expects a world title to be added to Tyson Fury’s super-fight against Anthony Joshua later this year, after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belts.
This week, Fury boxes Mariusz Wach in Thailand before Joshua fights Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia, with an all-British showdown next if the “Gypsy King” and “AJ” both win.
Joshua vs Fury, which is still without a date, is set to be a meeting of former two-time world heavyweight champions, but not a title fight. However, that could change, Froch has said.
In June, Usyk vacated the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, with mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel quickly handed the WBC belt, Murat Gassiev elevated from Regular to official WBA champion, and the IBF strap still vacant. Elsewhere, Daniel Dubois holds the WBO title.
It is the IBF belt that is of interest, with some fans theorising it could be added to Joshua vs Fury, and Froch has echoed that idea.
The former super-middleweight champion told the Independent via Betpack: “Probably, [it could happen]. When people like me and other respected members of the independent boxing media point out that there is nothing at stake, with no world title and no unbeaten record, making it a vacant world-title fight corrects one of those problems.
“It immediately becomes a bigger event, because somebody gets the chance to call himself a two-time or three-time heavyweight champion.
“Everyone who understands boxing would know it was only possible because Usyk vacated the belt, but it would still officially be a world-title fight.
“[Joshua’s promoter] Eddie Hearn has strong relationships with people at the different governing bodies, so I would expect them to try to make one of the belts available.
“Why not? There may be other deserving fighters, but it would help sell the event.”
Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh has suggested that Joshua vs Fury could take place at Wembley Stadium in November, but only if the main event begins at 2am BST.
Joshua, 36, last fought in December, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in six rounds. Fury, 37, last competed in April, outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov while returning from his fifth boxing retirement. Joshua’s fight took place just 10 days before he survived a fatal car crash in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of two of his teammates.
Joshua is a former two-time unified champion, having lost that status in 2019 with his shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr, before he quickly regained the belts in their rematch. He lost the unified titles for a second time in 2021, in his first of two points losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Meanwhile, Fury was unified champion before his hiatus from boxing between 2015 and 2018, and he then held the WBC title from 2020 until 2024. His WBC-only reign began with a stoppage of Deontay Wilder and ended with a points defeat by Usyk – the first of two, just like Joshua suffered.
Upon vacating his titles in June, Usyk said he plans to fight one more time before retiring. The unbeaten Ukrainian, 39, is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion and a former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
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