If Alexander and Tyson fight two fights in a row, the said belt automatically becomes vacant
As previously reported, IBF insists on the immediate defense of the heavyweight belt by the winner of the upcoming fight between Alexander Usik And Tyson Furywithout any intermediate battles.
In turn, the British WBC champion previously stated that the contract has a mandatory rematch clause, and a repeat fight with Usik could take place in October. If Tyson and his Ukrainian opponent agree on a rematch as their next fight, then the IBF heavyweight championship belt held by Alexander (along with the WBO, WBA and IBO titles) will become vacant.
The mandatory challenger for the IBF title since 2022 is the Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic. Earlier, Philip’s promoter Nisse Sauerland said that Usyk and Fury were acting “immorally” by postponing the Croatian’s fight. It was reported that if the belt becomes vacant, Hrgovic will have a title fight with the former world champion Anthony Joshua.
“Of course I want to fight Joshua. He is a star and he will decide. If this fight doesn’t take place, it won’t be because of me. I want to fight him. I’m ready. When the IBF title becomes vacant, and this will happen after the Fury-Usyk fight, he and I will be next in line. There’s no reason this shouldn’t happen. Only if he doesn’t want it,” Hrgovic emphasized.
Let us remind you that the unification fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion between Fury and Usyk will take place on May 18. The event will be hosted by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The WBC proposes to reform the judges for the reporting fight, increasing their number to 5-6 people. Penalties for boxers who refuse to fight are $10 million.
WBC President Mauricio Suleiman announced that an agreement had been concluded between the boxers for a re-fight. The WBO is also ready to sanction the rematch.
Let us remind you that on the night of March 9, Joshua won a knockout victory over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. Hrgovic, as part of the “Day of Reckoning” boxing evening in Riyadh on December 23, 2023, defeated Mark De Mori from Australia by technical knockout in the first round.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
