With sport being gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, questions are being asked as to how any form of it can be reintroduced over the next few months and one of the disciplines which is facing the biggest problem is the sweet science of Boxing.
Due to the close proximity that fighters undertake in order to win a fight, it comes as no surprise that any in-ring activity has been mothballed for the foreseeable future and with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder hoping to complete a trilogy, those plans are up now very much in the air.
Due to the way that Fury humbled Wilder, while on the way to claiming the WBC version of the Heavyweight Championship, it comes as no surprise that he is odds-on favourite to win for a second successive time.
However, with a United States flight ban in place from President Donald Trump, the staging of the third leg in this trilogy now becomes a rather thorny issue and with Wilder unable to get his hands on the man who took his unbeaten record, he may now have to sit on the replacements bench.
While although it means that this particular plotline does not reach the conclusion we were all hoping for, there is a sub-plot that has been bubbling under the surface in Britain, and finally we may be treated to the biggest ever battle on those shores.
That is because also lying in wait is Anthony Joshua, the man who holds all the other editions of the Heavyweight crown, and with the 30-year-old still dreaming of unifying the whole division, he could be given his chance sooner rather than later.
Although trying to thrash out a deal in this sport is sometimes a highly stressful, if not fruitless endeavor, there was a belief within the industry that Joshua would eventually square off with the winner from part three of Fury vs Wilder.
Many fans of Joshua have bemoaned the fact that he has to wait in line for his opportunity and they have demanded that the 2012 Olympic Super-Heavyweight Gold Medallist go straight to the front of the queue and face Fury next.
While due to the circumstance of both he and the WBC Champion being British and currently residing at home due to Government enforced restrictions, there are far less hurdles to clear in terms of arranging a fight and there is a feeling that the show will eventually go on.
For Wilder to step aside at this juncture, means that he will have to be dangled a carrot and it is one that would see the ‘Bronze Bomber’ face the winner of the ‘Battle of Britain’ some time in mid to late 2021.
It is far from ideal for the fighter who now possesses a 41-1-1 record, but nothing will be ideal going forward and at least if this triumvirate plan does go-ahead to finally settle the division once and for all, the 34-year-old will have more time to plan his in-ring revenge.
Wilder drew derision from Boxing quarters with his comments after the loss to Tyson Fury and by stating that he was too tired to fight after carrying such a heavy ring walk costume, the Alabama born fighter was almost looking for an excuse to cover his poor performance.
This time there can be no excuses and with the former champion being given the ability – albeit enforced, to sit and back and see Britain’s best square off in a European mega-fight, he will be able to prepare accordingly.
Of course, he would much rather be given the opportunity to have the first crack at the newly crowned WBC King, and with Tyson Fury now back at the summit of Boxing’s tallest mountain, it is he that now calls the shots.
Even casual supporters of Boxing know that Fury vs Joshua is the biggest fight left to schedule and although the circumstances are somewhat different, it seems as if we are finally taking the first steps on the right path.
The perfect opportunity to mop up the division and have one-man reign supreme, will it be Watford’s Joshua or Manchester’s Fury? Whoever it turns out to be, a certain Wilder will be lying in wait for his long-awaited turn.
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