Breaking
Tag

Oleksandr Usyk

Browsing
BOXING

Tyson Fury removed from IBF heavyweight rankings ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch, but the reason why makes perfect sense

By
Oleksandr Usyk

Tyson Fury is not in the latest IBF heavyweight rankings and has been replaced by Bakhodir Jalolov.

The ‘Gypsy King’ recently lost the first fight of his career as he succumbed to a points defeat in his undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk in May.

Following the loss of his WBC crown, Fury became a standard contender and so entered the rankings of the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO like any other fighter.

Now though, the IBF have removed the Briton from their latest heavyweight world rankings.

Usyk Is Too Small To Beat Elite Heavyweights, Says Tyson Fury

 

He has been replaced by heavyweight prospect Jalolov who sits in 13th.

But the reason for this makes sense – the IBF have no need to rank Fury given Usyk has vacated their title.

Fury is set to meet Usyk on December 21 in an immediate sequel, which will not involve the IBF.

Instead, only the WBA, WBC and WBO belts are at stake.

As he is challenging for those three instead, Fury has been removed from the rankings of the IBF.

However, Fury could yet become IBF champion again in future if he beats Usyk.

This is because it is being planned for the winner of Fury’s revenge bid against the Ukrainian to face the winner of Daniel Dubois’ IBF title defence against Anthony Joshua on September 21.

Dubois was upgraded to IBF world champion after Usyk vacated the belt, given he was the ‘interim’ title-holder.

Andy Ruiz 'Sure' Who Wins Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk Rematch: "It Could Be His Last Fight" - Seconds Out

 

So Joshua is now the leading ranked contender behind Dubois as he bids to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.

Agit Kabayel, Jared Anderson and Zhilei Zhang sit immediately behind Joshua in the rankings as they look to cement their name in the world title mix.

British pair Joe Joyce and Fabio Wardley sit in 10th and 12th respectively ahead of Jalolov, and it is an exciting time for the blue-riband division.

Fury has already began training for his chance to turn around his loss to ‘The Cat’.

And he has sent Usyk a video message already with months still to go until their next episode.

He said: “Listen up! I’ve conquered everything in boxing – titles, records, the lot. But I’ve never had to come back from a loss.

“On December 21st in Riyadh, in the heart of the kingdom, the king will reclaim his throne and become undisputed.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk’s Brutal Comparison of Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois

By
Oleksandr Usyk 

Oleksandr Usyk savaged reigning IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois when comparing him to Anthony Joshua. The 37-year-old made history in May after becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, following a monumental journey that saw him overcome five British fighters in six years. ‘

The Cat’ first secured the unified heavyweight title by defeating Joshua, making a mockery of claims that Usyk’s size would be detrimental to his success after moving up from cruiserweight. He then defended his titles against ‘AJ’ in a rematch, before winning a controversial bout against Dubois. Following a cagey opening to the fight, Dubois appeared to drop Usyk in the fifth round, but faced cries of a low blow coming from Ukrainian and his corner.

Joshua on second loss to Usyk: 'I can handle it for sure' – RingSide24

 

Siding with the Ukrainian, referee Luis Pabon ruled the body shot to be low and allowed Usyk time to recover. Had it been deemed to be a legal punch, it is highly unlikely that Usyk would have been able to recover sufficiently to beat the official’s count.

After being allowed to recover, Usyk then went on to ensure his retention of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts via a ninth-round knockout. Complaints from Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, were not successful in securing a rematch and Usyk moved past the Londoner after the scare.

Dubois Now Holds One of Usyk’s Former Titles

In his next fight, Usyk would battle past Tyson Fury to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. However, just five weeks after that monumental victory, Usyk would be forced to vacate his IBF heavyweight title. Within hours, interim champion Dubois was upgraded to full IBF world champion – an ironic twist given his history with Usyk.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 – Results & Post-Fight Report - ProBoxing-Fans.com

 

The 26-year-old will now face Joshua in his first title defence, with Wembley Stadium playing host to the clash on the 21st of September. In the build-up to that fight, an unflattering comparison that Usyk made between Dubois and Joshua during an interview with Boxing News has emerged. He was pretty brutal in his assessment.

Although Usyk has two wins over Joshua, both game via decision, whereas he was able to halt Dubois inside the scheduled distance. Whether or not the harsh words stemmed from his anger on the controversy with the match against Dubois, ‘Dynamite’ has certainly proved that he belongs at world level and an exciting bout looks to be in store when he clashes with Joshua in September.

Keep Reading
By
Verified by MonsterInsights