1 To find out the true number one
This reason shouldn’t require explaining and should in fact be the only reason needed when it comes to making any fight. However, just in case it needs simplifying, there is no chance either Fury or Usyk can be considered the best until they share a ring.
2 There is money to be made
While nobody will know for certain just how much, it’s safe to say there is an obscene amount of money on the table for both should this fight happen. And that should be reason enough to see it over the line.
3 Both have hinted at retirement
Fury has been threatening retirement because he’s bored and likes the attention for years now, whereas Usyk mentioned after beating Anthony Joshua a second time that the only fight of interest to him now was Tyson Fury. It would a travesty, then, if both were to retire having never boxed.
4 Both are in their prime and only getting older
With both enjoying a productive 2022, Fury and Usyk are clearly at the top of their game. And yet, with Fury 34 and Usyk 36, it won’t be long before Father Time introduces himself and taps his watch.
5 Alternative options are lacking
With Fury having taken care of Deontay Wilder, and Usyk having done similar with Anthony Joshua, there aren’t many other heavyweights against whom these two men can kill time and make money. In a sense, they are the last two standing.
6 Both are undefeated
Fury is unbeaten in 34 pro fights, while Usyk is unbeaten in 20. That’s a combined 54 pro fights without a loss and we know, based on history, no fight is as exciting as the one featuring two boxers with unbeaten records to lose.
7 It could happen in the UK
After some initial and always depressing talk of the fight heading to the Middle East, Fury vs. Usyk then seemed to become an option for Wembley Stadium in late April, which is far more appealing and makes far more sense, too.
8 They represent each other’s worst nightmare
Stylistically, the only heavyweight who would appear to trouble Usyk is a man whose physical dimensions he is unable to match. Meanwhile, the only heavyweight who would appear to trouble Fury is a southpaw whose level of skill is greater than anyone else’s in the division.
9 Legacy is at stake
Legacy, it’s true, is secondary to money in most boxers’ minds, yet a win for either Fury or Usyk in this fight would be evidence that they have secured theirs and therefore as good as completed the game.
10 The sport needs it
Forget the two boxers for a second, a Fury vs. Usyk fight is the shot in the arm the boxing needs right now.
