Does Dubois-Joshua need the IBF title? Absolutely not. It’s a terrific fight. Dubois-Joshua would sell out Wembley if it was for nothing more than a made up ‘champion of Wembley’ belt.
But this is the war brewing in boxing. The sanctioning bodies are massively against any move to diminish their role and power.
The state of heavyweight boxing of the last 18 months is a threat to them.
What’s being put forward by the powerbrokers in Saudi Arabia makes more sense.
The big fights happen regularly. The fights we couldn’t imagine happening have been happening, and are still happening.
That will worry the sanctioning bodies. When Joshua and Deontay Wilder held all the titles between them, the sanctioning bodies had more than three years to get them in the ring together.
You’ve got one job – get Mr A in the ring with Mr B and you have three years to do it. They didn’t do it.
If you relate that to any other job in the world, you’d be sacked for that, wouldn’t you?
We’ve not had any confirmation this reported boxing league is happening. It’s speculation at the moment, but it is something that makes sense if it can be done.
On paper it’s a great idea. Get the 15 best heavyweights or welterweights in a league to box each other regularly.
The sanctioning bodies do not fit into a league, they can’t. And that’s why there is a great behind-the-scenes battle going on.
Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to put up with these men and women in their fancy suits flying in for every fight week, to get into the ring and fight each other to get their belt around the champion’s waist first?
If they were removed from the squabble, what could be achieved?
If we had a situation in five years’ time where we had had two or three years of boxers fighting in a league, would any boxing fan be grieving the days of the IBF?
I think the sanctioning bodies are only too aware that they are not secure, like they once were.
They realise they’re in jeopardy of overplaying their hand. The best thing they can do is join forces. If the four sanctioning bodies can bury their egos, sit around that cocktail table and come up with their own league, then that becomes interesting.
The sanctioning bodies have had more than 60 years of ridiculous control and power.
But any breakaway, any league, it can’t be one promoter. Boxing needs a united front.
