BOXING
Why was Oleksandr Usyk allowed to keep his IBF belt?
Daryl Peoples, the president of the IBF, confirmed that the Ukranian champion has the right to request an exemption from the mandatory title defense.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) president confirmed that Oleksandr Usyk has the right as a champion to request a temporary exemption from the mandatory defense of the title against the official challenger, Croatian Filip Hrgović. The Ukrainian’s promoter, Alexander A. Krassyuk, confirmed that he will make the request above within the legal deadline.
After the Ukrainian boxer won a 12-round match against Tyson Fury and unified all four championship titles (WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO) in the heavyweight category, the clause for a mandatory rematch by the British heavyweight was activated, confusing whether the fight would be for the undisputed title.
What’s next for Usyk?
Indeed, the next match between Usik and Fury will again be held in Riyadh, presumably in October. Following People’s statement and Krasjuk’s reaction, it is clear that the rematch will be for all four titles. The IBF president emphasized that the Board of Directors will consider Usik’s request, and as a rule, the champion’s request is met in such situations.
If the IBF had strictly adhered to the rules, Hrgović would have fought for the IBF title against Briton Daniel Dubois on June 1 in Riyadh. However, it is now certain that this match will not be for the belt, even temporarily. If Hrgović defeats Dubo, he will retain the status of the official IBF challenger, which will undoubtedly be of interest to promoters with substantial financial support and quality boxers looking to usurp the current status of the Croatian heavyweight.
One of the most interested parties in the match between his boxer and Hrgović is the British promoter and owner of “Matchroom,” Eddie Hearn. There is speculation that former world champion Anthony Joshua, who Usyk defeated in a rematch, could box in mid-September against the match winner between Hrgović and Dubois.
Of course, this is all still speculative. Boxing promoters have always fought for the best positions for their boxers and their profit. They are particularly active in investing money when their fighters are climbing the rankings and fighting for the status of mandatory challengers. On June 1 in Riyadh, as part of the same program featuring Hrgović against Dubois, former WBC champion American Deontay Wilder and Chinese Zhilei Zhang will box. Both fighters lost their last matches, Wilder losing to the Swede Otto Wallin and Zhang losing to the former WBO world champion, Australian Joseph Parker. This match is part of several important fights of heavyweights from the Top 10 rankings, coinciding with the Usyk and Fury rematch.