Usyk, Fury, Joshua, Dubois Face Muddled Mess In Saudi-Controlled Heavyweight Division

There’s some good news and some bad news when it comes to the heavyweight division in boxing.

The good news is that we’re probably going to see more mix-and-match heavyweight championship bouts featuring top dogs Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois.

The bad news is that most fans won’t be able to see these fights in person or even, if they’re in the Americas, at a viewer-friendly TV time. Plus, they’re probably going to have to wait a long, long time to see any of them actually hit the ring.

After the Usyk-Fury rematch on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it could very well be until October of 2025 (or later) before we can even think of another big heavyweight showdown.

The reason for that is ensnared in the reality that Saudi Arabia now pretty much owns the heavyweight division, along with the entirety of the UK fight scene. And, per Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, the Saudis are reeling in the ambitions of their Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, to limit his fight making efforts to at-home Saudi events during the actual Riyadh Season (October-February/March).

“I think there was a lot of push back on His Excellency for doing fights outside of Saudi Arabia and outside Riyadh Season,” Arum recently told Dan Rafael on the “Fight Freaks Unite” podcast.

As for right now, before any moves are made by any heavyweight, they’ll all be waiting on Usyk-Fury to see how that plays out.

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, for example, may decide to skip over a rematch with Dubois [who stopped Joshua in five rounds this past September] if Fury beats Usyk, looking to grab at a lucrative bout with “The Gypsy King.”

“It would be frustrating if we made the Dubois rematch and Fury won,” Hearn told BBC Sport. “Then we’re sitting there going ‘hang on a minute, we’re fighting Dubois but we could have fought Fury in May for the biggest fight in boxing.’ Win or lose, we can fight Fury next summer. But if he wins, AJ fights him for the world title.”

Some of that may be wishful thinking on Hearn’s part as Fury, Joshua, and their respective teams are now essentially kept men, working under the Saudis’ whims and increasingly dependent on what should ultimately be unnecessary Saudi “sponsorships.” Staging a major event like Fury-Joshua outside of Saudi Arabia, outside of Riyadh Season, may not be a smart business move for those still in the business of pleasing Turki Alalshikh.

Hearn, for the record, has kinda/sorta refuted Arum’s claims that the Saudis are reeling back the scope of their events.

But, whatever the case, Joshua and Hearn aren’t moving forward until the smoke clears on December 21 and, if Usyk wins, there won’t likely be a chance at a meaningful fight for “AJ” until late next year as the Riyadh Season cutoff date in February won’t afford much time for preparation.

“AJ desperately wants revenge [versus Dubois], but the only issue is timing,” Hearn added. “For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks.”

Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren has expressed doubt regarding Joshua’s desire to face his fighter a second time. He’s also firm in his stated goal to pursue a rematch with Usyk, who scored a 2023 ninth round KO of Dubois in a bout marred in controversy over a debated beltline blow that dropped the Ukraine native.

Warren looks to be targeting a voluntary title defense in February, to fit into the Riyadh Season time frame, working under the assumption that a Joshua rematch is not in the cards. If Warren and Dubois want that Usyk rematch, though, they’ll have to wait until next fall/winter at the earliest– provided Usyk beats Fury.

But this all may be a moot point as the IBF has ordered a Martin Bakole-Agit Kabayel final eliminator to determine Dubois’ mandatory challenger– and, as we have seen in recent months, the IBF is not shy about stripping a big-money champion for not making a mandatory defense. Dubois without a belt is seriously hobbled in terms of fight-making leverage and desirability as an opponent.

Now, if Fury manages to beat Usyk in December, the most likely route is a forced rubber match with Usyk that, because of Saudi/Riyadh Season timing issues, also couldn’t take place until fall/winter, 2025 at the earliest. A Fury loss could, ironically, be the most liberating outcome for his career as it may free him up to take that big Anthony Joshua fight, which, actually, could find itself blocked, anyway, by Saudi interests.

It’s all a muddled mess at the moment. And fans may have to wait up to a year before things can even start to be un-muddled.