Why Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are not fighting for the heavyweight championship

Buckle up for a bit of a journey, because the route to Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 is not a simple one. To start, we have to go all the way back to be beginning, when two old wizards decided to put their warriors Fury and Joshua against each other.

It would surely be a momentous occasion, with more British pride in the event than a dinner tabletop featuring Yorkshire pudding, Fish and Chips, and a nice Eton Mess to top it off. However, such delightful outcomes were not destined as Deontay Wilder and his management team won an arbitrary lawsuit that demanding an exorbitant amount of step-aside money, or a rematch.

Despite allegedly being offered $20 million to step aside and let Fury fight Joshua, the American instead opted purely for revenge. As a result, Usyk and Joshua were stuck without dance partners.

While Joshua’s fight with Fury fell through for a litany of reasons, Usyk has continually has trouble getting the attention of the “Big 4” heavyweights in the division. At the right time, and the right place, Usyk and Joshua happened to have their stars align to fill each others’ time while Fury and Wilder conclude their business.

While we hope and wait for a unification bout between Joshua and Fury, we get a big one for four belts on Saturday. If Joshua handles his business, maybe a unification bout follows in 2022.

To get a full breakdown of the betting odds for Saturday’s exciting event, check out DraftKings Sportsbook.