Tyson Fury’s conflicts pose problems for his heavyweight return

Tyson Fury It took three days in January to make his return a reality. Send out news that the heavyweight cash cow is back.

About a week ago, Alexander Usyk Insisting he wants a fight with Deontay Wilder, Wilder insisted in a moment of amnesia that the best is yet to come. Wilder will always be dangerous, but he has lost four of his last six fights in the past six years and is now 40 years old. He also knocked out 43 of the 44 men he defeated. At the same time, thankfully, Anthony Joshua The sorrow and pain he was left with; There should be absolute and widespread silence about Joshua’s boxing career.

In less than three weeks, Moses will be in painthe potential terror of a heavyweight, fighting the last of the great true American journeymen, Jermaine Franklinin Manchester on January 24. Franklin fought the full twelve rounds alongside Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He is the last link to the American heavyweights of the sixties, seventies and eighties. If the 21-year-old Moses can win quickly — it took him 119 seconds to stop White last summer — it would be a huge statement. It’s a great start to the year, no doubt, and that’s just one division.

Fury is now 37 years old, has been keeping his weight under control since his last fight, and his recently released sparring sessions look good; Fury could fight by May and hope to get some meaningful results by the end of October.

He is, as always, a contradiction. His grand retirement after his fight with Usyk in December 2024 is real, and so is his return. It’s unlikely to be smooth sailing; Fury is a draw and doesn’t need any testing in the opposite corner, which is both a good and a bad thing – good for his bank account, but not so good for the sport if he’s fighting mismatched competition after such a long break.

Current WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley is scheduled to defend his title sometime in April or May. A bold statement is Daniel DuboisHe will be in the opposite corner after being stopped by Usyk in five rounds last July. That will be a great fight. All eyes are now on Fury’s progress and his realistic ambitions, as well as Itamar’s brief journey.

Ben Whittaker knows his apprenticeship in the ring is over. Whittaker, a silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is unbeaten in 11 fights as a pro and has a full dance card at British light heavyweight. Whittaker would be fine against Callum Smith (unlikely), Anthony Yarde (possible), Joshua Brazil (possible) and Craig Richards (sensible). This experienced quartet has played a total of 110 times and lost 11 times.

The quartet weren’t much older, but they put up a tough fight on a tough night. Whittaker appears to be receiving special treatment, much to the chagrin of the other British light heavyweights, as well as many other boxers. The flip side is that if he doesn’t measure up, he gets kicked. It’s pressure, and in boxing, it’s often a privilege.

Hamzah Sheeraz has been named to compete for the vacant WBO super middleweight title; the fight could be one of the main attractions on the season card in Riyadh. The angry return may also be taking place under Saudi cover. Saudi boxing still leads the world.

Connor Benn Looking for another big night, this time at welterweight. He has a long and ambitious shopping list that includes Belfast’s IBF champion Lewis Crocker. Crocker has also been heavily linked with British champion Conah Walker, which would make for a great fight.

Benn was also mentioned by some of America’s biggest figures. Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney have both used his name. He could become another British boxer heading to Riyadh.

The British women will have two massive matches, with Katie Taylor likely to headline the summer finale. The Taylor fight would be her last fight.

Lauren Price vs. Mikaela Mayer in Las Vegas will be an undisputed welterweight battle. This topic has been discussed for over a year; it needs to be made. One of the most intriguing lightweight bouts is between Caroline Dubois, who is unbeaten in 13 fights, and Turkey’s Elif Nur Turhan, who has stopped or knocked out eight of his 12 opponents. She is a rare figure in the women’s game, a true talent. They both hold the lightweight world title.

There are already plenty of dates on the calendar for Britain’s top boxers: Sheffield’s Dalton Smith will challenge Subril Mathias for the WBC super lightweight title in New York on Saturday. In November, Mathias failed a drug test with negligible levels of trace elements, and the WBC decided to support the fight.

On February 7, Nick Ball defended his WBA featherweight title for the fourth time against Brandon Figueroa in Liverpool; Jazza Dickens went to Dublin in March this year to compete for the WBA super featherweight title with Anthony Cacace. Perhaps the most exciting fight of the early schedule is the long-awaited rematch between former world champions and bitter rivals Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington on February 21 in Nottingham.

That’s an impressive triple to start any year. This will be a year of bold fights, the end of a dozen careers, and possibly the breakthrough of a dozen fighters destined to carry us through the next five or six years. However, the British business has a lot of protected fighters, looked after by top promoters, and no one wants to see their assets severely tested prematurely. This is supposed to be a year of transition, which should mean there are going to be some outrageous fights.