Frank Warren Explains Why Joshua-Klitschko Won't Happen

By Frank Warren

The Tyson Fury effect has seen to it that chaos has descended on the heavyweight parade.

Promoters of all the other hefty hopefuls are currently maneuvering and jockeying for position with the governing bodies, with some keeping their cards closer to their chests than others.

The movers and shakers are all awaiting the next move of the WBO, WBA and IBO over the inactivity and recent revelations regarding Tyson, whose situation will also be on the agenda at the next gathering at the British Boxing Board of Control.

It does seem apparent that Tyson will not be stepping into the ring any time soon, so the governing bodies will have to debate whether to place in recess or strip the heavyweight champion of his titles.

In either event, they then have to decide on an honourable process to determine who is afforded the right to compete for the vacant belts.

Hopes have been raised on the home front of the IBF champion Anthony Joshua being given an opportunity to unify against the former champion Wladimir Klitschko. But in reality there isn’t a hope of a unification.

It sounds an attractive prospect for British boxing, but it wont happen.

Klitschko is ranked number 2 with both the WBO and WBA, and is unranked by the IBF, so he is not the top ranked contender for any of the titles. The principal reason he remains so firmly in the picture is due to his insistence over a rematch clause being inserted before he defended and was defeated by Tyson.

There was no obligation to grant a rematch as Tyson was his mandatory challenger.

I don’t think the match between Joshua and Klitschko is anywhere near made. They can talk about it all they like, but no fight has been announced for Joshua and I suspect they are struggling. One big hurdle is Hearn said he’d done a deal with Showtime for Joshua fights, whilst Klitschko is inked with HBO.

Outside of Klitschko the options appear to be narrowing. Opponents aren’t going to get into a fight where they are going to take chump change, they are going to want big purses.

The fighter who seems to hold the strongest hand should Tyson’s titles be declared vacant is Joseph Parker, who is No.1 contender for the IBF and WBO belts.

His management are clearly intent on not relinquishing his hard-fought status and waving through a unification of convenience. Certainly not after reading promoter Dean Lonergan’s witty riposte to suggestions of the WBO belt being invited to the Joshua-Klitschko party.

“Only Harry Potter could pull off a WBO world title fight between Joshua and Klitschko, and the last time I looked, Fast Eddie (Hearn) wasn’t holding a wand. As for Bernd Boente, he’s arrived on the scene as the evil wizard Voldemort but he won’t be able to conjure a miracle.

“Whether Joe fights AJ [Joshua] for the IBF title, or we fight for the vacant WBO title, one way or the other, he’s going to be fighting for a world title before the year is out.”

I reckon we can count on plenty more fighting talk before these belts finally find a new home.

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