ANTHONY JOSHUA has a £15million offer on the table to cut his undisputed heavyweight world title workload in half – but it comes with dangerous pitfalls.
The 32-year-old Watford ace currently has none of the four major titles – after Oleksandr Usyk mugged him for the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in September – and no head trainer to lead his charge at rematch revenge.
But if he accepts the huge stepaside deal in front of him, to let WBC king Tyson Fury, 33, meet the 35-year-old Ukraine southpaw instead, he can bed in with a soon-to-be-announced new coach and get a guaranteed shot at the winner and holder of all four belts.
It sounds simple but there are plenty of reasons Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has called the situation “total chaos” – most notably fellow Londoner Dillian Whyte’s long overdue mandatory shot at the WBC crown both Usyk and AJ crave.
But there are plenty more stumbling blocks that could also sink the most lucrative night off any fighter could ever be paid to take.
CHAMP GETS INJURED
In boxing terms Usyk and Fury are nearing the ends of their magnificent careers.
And if the winner was to suffer a career-threatening cut or injury then it would be almost impossible to insure against.
Fury suffered a 47-stitch cut to his right eye in his 2019 bloodbath win over Otto Wallin and anything similar – even in another victory – could delay or kybosh any future fight.
Usyk put on a career-best performance against AJ but has struggled with a shoulder injury before.
And a 12-row war with a 6ft 9in 20st monster of a man – likely to be four stone heavier – could come at a life-changing cost.
And all the contracts in the world could not overrule a doctor insisting a man cannot compete, which could scatter all the four titles around the division and leave Joshua back at square one.
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DILLIAN WHYTE
Not only do the two rivals have two wars inside the ring – with Whyte winning their amateur clash and AJ triumphing in their 2015 pro barnstormer – but they could now be battling for their crack at the WBC title.
Whyte has been offered around £5million to allow the Fury vs Usyk fight take place – but he will also want a legally binding shot at the crown he has chased since 2017.
Even if the £20million Joshua and Whyte are set to split keeps their bank managers beaming – how and who will decide which of them gets first dibs on the winner?
THE DRAW
Imagine being guaranteed a shot at the winner of Fury vs Usyk, sitting on the sidelines for a year and then the first undisputed decider in over 20 years ends in a draw!
It was a 33-1 longshot when it happened in Fury’s first clash with Deontay Wilder and the freak result would be even shorter odds when two chess masters like Fury and Usyk meet for the highest possible stakes.
The draw would require a rematch and that would be a disaster for AJ’s plan.
AJ SPARE TIME
Joshua is expected to appoint a new head trainer soon and leaping into the biggest fight of his life without a test event seems dangerous and unlikely.
Much more probably – if he lets Fury and Usyk dance – is that he takes a keep-warm fight to adapt to his new cornerman and try out their chemistry.
AJ’s high profile and exciting style means he won’t be in an easy fight against a no-hoper and the severity of his 2019 stoppage loss to chubby Mexican underdog Andy Ruiz Jr will always have him tarred as vulnerable in some courts.
AJ will not only have to win his 27th pro fight in style but he will have to find perfect synergy with the new trainer who will be tasked with coming up with a plan to beat a 6ft 9in switch hitter – or a genius southpaw – in a very short space of time.
THE CHAMP RETIRES
If a maverick like Fury wins all four heavyweight world tiles, there is every chance he could retire undefeated as one of the greatest to ever do it.
If a devout 35-year-old like Usyk – who already has an Olympic gold and every cruiserweight belt in his locker – claims the greatest prize in sport without a single loss, then he too could vanish into the pantheons.
But then would then mean that four belts that they had accumulated would be spread out as the sanctioning bodies create new champions from their independent ranking systems.
It really does seem to be now or never.
So it will take a watertight contract to ensure whoever wins this iconic fight is not allowed to retire.
The only way to enforce such a demand would be to inflict a giant fine on any winner who tries to exit the sport in any way without giving Joshua his crack at greatness.
