What the f*** are the IBF doing?

[4truth]

I think it's brilliant, evil but brilliant. Joshua and Hrgovic for the IBF title. After Usyk/Tyson unification fight, we are treated to Unification part 2.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

If TYSON FURY can take a fight before undisputed, then Usyk can do so as well.

Satisfy your mandatory, Usyk...you've guys have been holding the heavyweight division hostage for too long

Usyk doesn’t want a tune up. He wants to go straight into the Fury fight. Isn’t that what we all wanted?

[Queen_Leia]

Usyk doesn’t want a tune up. He wants to go straight into the Fury fight. Isn’t that what we all wanted?

He should have took the fight now instead of waiting until next year....even Fury complained about that.

You can't keep a division on hold, holding up the belts until your ready.

BTW, we'll still have undisputed...after Usyk fight Hrgo.

[dan-b]

He should have took the fight now instead of waiting until next year....even Fury complained about that.

You can't keep a division on hold, holding up the belts until your ready.

BTW, we'll still have undisputed...after Usyk fight Hrgo.

This is a fair point, strike while the iron's hot. The longer you delay or "marinate" a fight the more chance there is of things going wrong. Saudi apparently offered huge money to put this on December 17th. Should have taken it.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

He should have took the fight now instead of waiting until next year....even Fury complained about that.

You can't keep a division on hold, holding up the belts until your ready.

BTW, we'll still have undisputed...after Usyk fight Hrgo.

On hold for what 6 months? Errol Spence hasn’t had an IBF mandatory for OVER 4 YEARS and they’re allowing him to fight Thurman instead of Ennis.

Usyk said from the get go he wouldn’t be ready until early 2023 and that’s when the Fury will happen. It’s a complete no brainer to give him an exemption and it would also benefit the sport. An undisputed HW champion is what we all want, right?

[Queen_Leia]

On hold for what 6 months? Errol Spence hasn’t had an IBF mandatory for OVER 4 YEARS and they’re allowing him to fight Thurman instead of Ennis.

It's a rotation my jigga...WBC is up next.

Usyk said from the get go he wouldn’t be ready until early 2023 and that’s when the Fury will happen.

So what he's not ready...we're not about to put a whole division on hold because of one man. I could see if he was injured but he's NOT. Time to fight your mandatory.

It’s a complete no brainer to give him an exemption and it would also benefit the sport.

NAH!!! he had his chance...he can now fight Hrgo, that would still benefit the sport.

An undisputed HW champion is what we all want, right?

Yep and we'll get it, right after he fights Hrgo.

[Toffee]

Agreed with all of this except nobody was getting a shot at any of AJ’s titles with a rematch clause in place. There’s a reason people call it ReMatchroom.

True for voluntaries and that's another example of promoters protecting their fighters rather than giving us a better chance of Undisputed happening. But, again, you'd expect that? They all work on self interest - the sport is built that way.

A mandatory is the one time a fighter and their team get the chance to operate as sportsmen rather than businessmen. Usyk had that chance and didn't take it. He figured he'd beat Joshua twice so he took the extra fight and the extra money rather than give himself a window of availability for Undisputed. I don't blame him, but it was his decision for his own self interest.

Rather than focusing on the titlist, the discussion should be about the mandatory fighter. The titlist just makes an offer that is sensible for their situation. It's the mandatory who takes a rematch clause they don't have to take.

[_Rexy_]

If TYSON FURY can take a fight before undisputed, then Usyk can do so as well.

Satisfy your mandatory, Usyk...you've guys have been holding the heavyweight division hostage for too long

What are you talking about? Usyk just won the belts and Filip has been IBF mandatory for two months after being rewarded for losing to a fighter that nobody has ranked.

[4truth]

This is a fair point, strike while the iron's hot. The longer you delay or "marinate" a fight the more chance there is of things going wrong. Saudi apparently offered huge money to put this on December 17th. Should have taken it.

Usyk wanted 6 months instead of 4. Wow, how totally unreasonable of him.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

What are you talking about? Usyk just won the belts and Filip has been IBF mandatory for two months after being rewarded for losing to a fighter that nobody has ranked.

He’s just a troll I think. How can you put the division down hold for 6 months.