- Date agreed for undisputed clash
- Joshua and Wilder both on card for December 23
- AJ and Bronze Bomber could be set for 2024 bout
Tyson Fury and Oleksander Usyk have agreed a date for their undisputed clash, while fellow heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will both fight on December 23.
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Undisputed clash set for February while Joshua could meet Wilder in 2024
Fury and Usyk are set to face off for the undisputed heavyweight title on February 17 in Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old Briton Fury holds the WBC championship, while the 36-year-old Ukrainian Usyk is the current WBA, WBO, and IBF titleholder. The victor of this clash will emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Originally scheduled for December 23, the bout was postponed due to Fury’s recent challenging encounter with Francis Ngannou. As a result, on the initial date, former heavyweight champions Joshua and Wilder will engage in separate matches against other opponents in Riyadh. If AJ and the Bronze Bomber both secure victories, they might potentially face each other in 2024. Joshua will take on Otto Wallin while American Wilder faces former champion Joseph Parker.
Fury, with a professional record of 34 wins and one draw since his debut in 2008, faced criticism for failing to finalise terms with Usyk after a proposed bout at London’s Wembley Stadium in April fell through. The unexpected announcement in September revealed that a deal had been brokered by Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Fury’s victory over former MMA champion Ngannou in a non-title fight was expected to be a straightforward affair. However, the Morecambe fighter narrowly secured a split-decision success. Fury and Usyk came face-to-face following the victory, but Fury and his co-promoter, Frank Warren, initially suggested that the bout might be postponed until 2024.
The last undisputed heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, a Briton who defended the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles by defeating Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas. Notably, no heavyweight has held all four recognised world titles simultaneously.
Betting Implications
Joshua and Wilder are both favourites to win their December 23 bouts. The real anticipation among bettors and boxing fans regarding these two fighters is a potential meeting in 2024.
At the time of writing BoyleSports are offering 2/7 on Joshua to win, with Wallin 11/4 and a draw 18/1. It is a similar story for Wilder’s bout with the bookie currently pricing the Bronze Bomber at 1/6, Parker at 4/1 and a draw 20/1. Early indications suggest that the bookies make Wilder the favourite should he and Joshua come through their fights successfully and agree to a bout in 2024.
Fury remains the favourite in the undisputed clash against Usyk. The Gypsy King is priced at 8/15 by William Hill with Usyk 6/4 and a draw 18/1.
Bettors need to look at the past performance of the four fighters and look at their strengths and weaknesses when making their picks.
