WBA to sanction Joshua vs Fury as ‘super’ title fight - Punch Newspapers
The World Boxing Association is set to sanction Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua as a fight for its vacant “super” heavyweight title when the pair meet on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, despite Murat Gassiev remaining the organisation’s regular titleholder. The move creates a second WBA heavyweight titleholder alongside Gassiev, who was elevated to the position after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt in June and defended it with a stoppage win over Peter Kadiru in July. The decision reverses the WBA’s recent push to move away from having multiple champions in one division. Both Fury and Joshua return from tune-up wins this year. Fury won by decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov and by stoppage against Mariusz Wach, while Joshua recorded a second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga, despite being dropped twice early in the fight. Fury has opened as a -180 favourite, with Joshua at +150.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google Fury is currently ranked number two by the WBA, with Joshua rated third, while Jarell Miller is the mandatory challenger for Gassiev and sits in the number one slot. Chaos as Carter Efe, Speed Darlington face-off ahead clash Fury enrols for drug testing ahead Joshua fight Boxing legend Mercer hits Lagos for ‘The Street Rumble’ Season 2 The fight is moving into its final promotional stage, as both fighters appeared on Wednesday at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre for the official launch press conference. Fury, who holds a record of 36 wins, two losses and one draw with 25 knockouts, has also reportedly entered the VADA testing pool, while Joshua, who has a record of 30 wins and four losses with 27 knockouts, has pushed for year-round anti-doping language in the deal. Fury and Joshua are both former heavyweight champions whose title reigns ended years ago, with Fury losing his belts to Usyk in 2024 and Joshua losing his to the same opponent in 2021. The WBA’s decision has already attracted criticism, with newly crowned IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic dismissing the sanctioning of the fight as unjustified. “That is funny, man. It is a bulls*** decision. I do not know where and how they found a belt for that kind of fight. Who did they fight in their last fights? “They are both big superstars, but how are they fighting for a title? Where did that come from? It is not good for the sport. Because of these funny decisions, people do not consider boxing a serious sport,” Hrgovic said. Peter Akinbo Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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