Tyson Fury is set to defend his WBC world heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on April 23 and that’s just one of a plethora of potential blockbuster heavyweight bouts we could see in 2022.
Fury is the star attraction in the big-hitting division, but he only holds one of the four major titles. ‘The Gypsy King’ will face mandatory challenger Whyte, after the ‘Bodysnatcher’ signed on the dotted line. The fight promises to be a brilliant all-British bust-up and it could set up a unification bout for the winner.
The clash between Fury and Whyte is the highest boxing purse bid of all-time, with Frank Warren going to £31m to stage the fight and it will be shown live in the UK on BT Sport Box Office. Fury is the 1/7 favourite and those that fancy a big upset can get 19/5 about a Whyte victory.
Joshua set for Usyk Rematch
Anthony Joshua will rematch Oleksandr Usyk after the Ukrainian snatched ‘AJ’s’ WBA, WBO and IBF belts last year. The bout is set to take place in mid-May, and while it will no doubt be another excellent contest, it will also serve to clear a bottleneck in the heavyweight division.
Three of the division’s four world titles are tied-up in the Joshua v Usyk fight and there are plenty of potential challengers waiting in the wings.
Andy Ruiz Jnr briefly held the IBF, WBA and WBO belts when he upset ‘AJ’ back in 2019, but he was unable to hold onto them in the rematch. However, ‘Destroyer’ is looking to get back in the mix and he could take on another former world champion in Deontay Wilder. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was involved in a famous trilogy of fights against Fury and the ‘Alabama Slammer’ eventually lost his WBC belt. That would be an interesting contest and it could get the victor back in world title contention.
Parker and Joyce in the Mix
Joseph Parker won a pair of fights against Dereck Chisora and the Kiwi is another big-hitter on the heavyweight scene. The trouble with the Auckland man is there is no clear path to a world title and he is too good to get put in against an up-and-coming performer.
Joe Joyce is set to make his return to the ring in April and he is currently the WBO’s leading contender to Usyk’s belt. ‘The Juggernaut’ will be watching on with interest.
It’s possible that we could see Parker and Joyce next, but you could also throw the hats of Luis Ortiz, Michael Hunter and Chisora in the ring.
The picture will certainly become clearer in the second-half of the year, after Fury, Whyte, Joshua and Usyk have settled the score and fight fans have plenty to be excited about in 2022.
*All odds correct at time of writing