Next set of hevyweight title challengers?

[Enlightened-One]

Assuming Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury successfully defends their titles against Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder respectively, then the following fighters will become the highest-rated contenders for the four main governing bodies:

• Dillian Whyte (WBC)
• Luis Ortiz or Trevor Bryan (WBA)
• Charles Martin (IBF)
• Joe Joyce (WBO)

Potential interim fights for all of the above:

• Dillian Whyte vs. Trevor Bryan or the winner of Franklin-Shaw
• Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Luis Ortiz (both highly-rated by the WBC and WBA, the winner could be installed as the mandatory for either of those straps)
• Charles Martin vs. Filip Hrgovic (IBF eliminator)
• Joe Joyce vs. Joseph Parker (WBO eliminator)

So who would you like the eventual victor of Fury-Joshua to face from the names listed above?

Thoughts?

[claudevsq]

Yes, Ortiz is old... What about WBA interim champ Dubois or Charr, their champion in recess?

[joshj909]

The order of the defences should be something along the lines of WBC > WBO > WBA > IBF though some are more time strict than others. It's probably also worth noting that these could change significantly over the next 12 months when the first defence would likely happen and that should Fury unify the belts, it would not surprise anyone if these belts go vacant.

[DrDuke]

All those straps suck. Every hardcore boxing fan knows, that Trevor Bryan is the people's undisputed champion. Only Mahmoud Charr is close enough, as he has recently defeated then unbeatable Christopher Lovejoy. Of course, Fres Oquendo deserves a shot too, but not as much as Charr, so he must wait for his opportunity a little bit. Charr gotta challenge Bryan next, thus we'll find out who's ultimately the best.

[joshj909]

Yes, Ortiz is old... What about WBA interim champ Dubois or Charr, their champion in recess?

Is Dubois our next great hope at unifying all of WBA's pointless belts? It would actually give him the perfect experience against gradually improving mid-European level guys in Charr, Bryan and Helenius before stepping up to World level as this was clearly his/Frank's mistake with the Joyce fight. This would all be hopeful though.

[gregregegg]

I think fury wins and either rematches or retires... and the division goes into a mad rush of people fighting for vacant belts.

[Cyclops]

I think fury wins and either rematches or retires... and the division goes into a mad rush of people fighting for vacant belts.

I think you're right.

I think Joyce will pick up a vacant title so long as his age doesn't suddenly catch up with him and AJ will fight Dillian again, because he's always wanted Dillian again. Even though that first fight, apart from one good punch, wasn't even remotely competitive: he's always said he wants him again.

Funnily enough, I think if Fury wins both fights he might do a farewell against Chisora, sort of Mayweather style where he picked Berto for his final real fight. Fury's mentioned in the past that he likes Del and wouldn't mind a trilogy. As pointless as it would be, I can see Fury giving his mate a payday before swanning off into the pub forever.

[Enlightened-One]

I can see Fury giving his mate a payday before swanning off into the pub forever.

He's been saying that for years and I think he really means it.

Chisora is a commercially popular guy that persistently headlines fight cards. He's Matchroom's go-to guy, if Eddie Hearn needs a decent dance partner to face one of his big-name fighters to justify a PPV.

Del Boy's losses don't seem to affect his popularity either.

And even if a Fury-Chisora III bout may seem pointless to members of boxing's hardcore fraternity, it'll do fairly well commercially.

[margaret thatcher]

i hope not. fury-chis 2 was one of the worst fights ive ever seen, fury trounced him exclusively using southpaw flick jabs. it was almost a sad spectacle. fury just all wrong for deli

now that they are buddy buddy i can only imagine that fury would carry del as much as he could

[gilgamesh]

The first person that Fury or Joshua will defend against is Fury or Joshua depending who wins.

After that I could see Joe Joyce arriving at that Title challenger precipice by then.

Dillian Whyte may finally get his long awaited title shot somewhere in there.

I don't wanna see Luis Ortiz in any more title fights. While Joseph Parker wouldn't be the worst I wouldn't really wanna see him either.

We need some new blood as far as challengers go.

[Cyclops]

i hope not. fury-chis 2 was one of the worst fights ive ever seen, fury trounced him exclusively using southpaw flick jabs. it was almost a sad spectacle. fury just all wrong for deli

now that they are buddy buddy i can only imagine that fury would carry del as much as he could

People have short memories, and while part 2 was one of the most boring, one sided fights ever, it was yonks ago and there are casuals that will only remember the AJ fights, the Wilder trilogy (should Fury come through them all, which isn't a given at all) and Dereck fighting Usyk and Whyte and Joesph Parker and knocking out Takam. "He glassed me!" is a fading meme, and even I sometimes forget that Chisora not only fought Vitali Klitschko and gave him a rough time, but also signed to fight a prime Wladimir as well, and it was Wlad that pulled out.

As a farewell fight for both, I expect it would sell out the venue at the very least. That's boxing for you.

[aicheligad]

My guess is that Fury and Joshua won't fight each other ever.

[Cyclops]

My guess is that Fury and Joshua won't fight each other ever.

You're a pessimist for sure but unfortunately there's part of me that thinks you might be right

[margaret thatcher]

it will happen if they come through their next ones

it was on track until the wilder ruling.....huge fights like that take time and fans always start to say they'll never happen

[Cyclops]

it will happen if they come through their next ones

it was on track until the wilder ruling.....huge fights like that take time and fans always start to say they'll never happen

I hope you're right, Mags.

[margaret thatcher]

trust me my man, i promise it

[KiwiRider]

All those straps suck. Every hardcore boxing fan knows, that Trevor Bryan is the people's undisputed champion. Only Mahmoud Charr is close enough, as he has recently defeated then unbeatable Christopher Lovejoy. Of course, Fres Oquendo deserves a shot too, but not as much as Charr, so he must wait for his opportunity a little bit. Charr gotta challenge Bryan next, thus we'll find out who's ultimately the best.

You bloody legend
3 (three) posts in and Fres gets a mention

[gregregegg]

Shocked with the Joyce votes here. While as iv said earlier i expect fury to win and retire and it to go into a vacant belt bananza.

If AJ wins i expect him to go after whyte and ruiz. Big cash, known quantitys, straightforward wins. and im guessing fury would want to target those guys too honestly. They are just more money, and not that tough.

I want joyce to get a crack, but i think it will have to be vacant, he seems like an easy night for both being as he is the slowest man alive, but i think both kinda fear the big strong plodder with a 25 rounds gass tank.. he can drag them into spots they wont love.

[Ruthless-RKO]

All those straps suck. Every hardcore boxing fan knows, that Trevor Bryan is the people's undisputed champion. Only Mahmoud Charr is close enough, as he has recently defeated then unbeatable Christopher Lovejoy. Of course, Fres Oquendo deserves a shot too, but not as much as Charr, so he must wait for his opportunity a little bit. Charr gotta challenge Bryan next, thus we'll find out who's ultimately the best.

Honestly, I feel the likes of Bryan, Lovejoy, Charr, Oquendo are all in a different universe.

[JamesPhilips]

I’d like to see Joe Joyce by far

[Enlightened-One]

It surprises me to see people believing Joyce is more deserving of a title shot than Whyte.

[Ruthless-RKO]

It surprises me to see people believing Joyce is more deserving of a title shot than Whyte.

No one said more deserving.

Plus Whyte got offered a shït few years back. Turned it down.

[Enlightened-One]

It surprises me to see people believing Joyce is more deserving of a title shot than Whyte.

No one said more deserving.

Plus Whyte got offered a shït few years back. Turned it down.

Got offered what?

A disingenuous pay cut offer?

You’re aware of the numbers.

Is that the route we’re going down? Any fighter rejecting a lowball offer is automatically deemed as being a “duck”?

Fight AJ for a smaller purse than you received against Chisora, with Joshua offering Andy Ruiz Jr. and Miller bigger purses than Whyte received?

Even Eddie Hearn admitted Whyte was being lowballed. He essentially said take the pay cut to receive the “keys to the Kingdom”.

[Ruthless-RKO]

It surprises me to see people believing Joyce is more deserving of a title shot than Whyte.

No one said more deserving.

Plus Whyte got offered a shït few years back. Turned it down.

Got offered what?

A disingenuous pay cut offer?

You’re aware of the numbers.

Is that the route we’re going down? Any fighter rejecting a lowball offer is automatically deemed as being a “duck”?

Fight AJ for a smaller purse than you received against Chisora, with Joshua offering Andy Ruiz Jr. and Miller bigger purses than Whyte received?

Even Eddie Hearn admitted Whyte was being lowballed. He essentially said take the pay cut to receive the “keys to the Kingdom”.

And he was confident enough, take it. You get offered the shot, go and take it, beat the champion and then call the shots.

Didn’t call it a duck either. Just said he rejected an offer to fight for multiple world championships and he turned it down. It’s a fact.