Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua agree to deal that will crown undisputed heavyweight champion

Professional boxing has not had a truly undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis was recognized as such in 2000. Two decades later, that will come to an end. British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have signed a two-fight deal to crown the first undisputed champion of the four belt era.

Dates and locations have not been finalized, but ESPN is reporting the plan is for the first fight to take place in June or July and the rematch to follow in November or December. Until we see the fighters actually make their way to the ring, it’s easy to be skeptical of this. But if you’re an optimistic, this is the closest we’ve been to getting this fight made.

Joshua enters the fight with a 24-1 record and holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles. He lost all four titles in a stunning TKO loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019, but won them all back with a unanimous decision six months later.

Fury enters the fight with a 30-0-1 record and holds the WBC title. More importantly, he is the currently recognized lineal champion by The Ring magazine. He claimed that title with a win over Deontay Wilder after losing it in 2018 due to inactivity. Wladimir Klitschko was the prior lineal champ from 2009 to 2015.