By Tom Donelson (BWAA)

Member Boxing Writers

Association of America

Now on an interesting news on why sometimes boxing shoots itself in the foot.  I wrote recently about MMA vs Boxing, “Another advantage is that UFC is the premier mixed martial arts division and if you are the UFC champion, you are the champion whereas WBO, IBF, WBA, and WBC have their own champions and we have can have as many as 68 champions and I doubt the top boxing writers could list who is champion in each of these sanctioning body. Dana White of UFC has proved to be superior in promoting his sport than the main promoters of boxing who seem to think of the next big fight but not beyond that.” We just had a competitive great fight between the two best heavyweights, and we crowned an undisputed heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk as he defeated Tyson Fury.  IBF has decided in their wisdom to strip Usyk if he chooses to fight Fury in a rematch.  While I understand that Croatia Filip Hrgovic wants his shot at a heavyweight title but there are two realities, the first is that Usyk and Fury are the two best heavyweight and two, it is the best money-making fight and the one fight that fans want to see. 

Hrgovic is looking to fight British fighter Daniel Dubois June 1^st in  Saudi Arabia and IBF is considering making this as a possible IBF championship fight.  This is why Boxing is losing to MMA, because Dana White would not allow an undisputed champion to lose a championship belt if he chooses a rematch in the UFC.  White would even promote the fight if the fight stood to make money. Here is the kicker, the winner gets to fight Anthony Joshua, who already lost twice to Usyk.   Let take one more thing, Usyk at the age oof 37 has little time to make big bucks plus his country in a fight for its survival so maybe the IBF can wait until after the rematch.  IBF may be excited about a Hrgovic-Dubois fight, but the rest of the boxing world wants a Fury-Usyk battle. IBF shows why boxing fans get frustrated with boxing.  You had a great fight, and fans are now hungry for more, but you have a sanctioning body that decides that maybe we need yet another champion. 

Usyk has been suspended fighting in Great Britain from British Boxing commission until June 2nd, even though no one is certain why but suspected it was due to injuries from his victory over Fury.  My own view is that this is nothing burger and not even worth the effort to do since any rematch will be long after that date and somehow I don’t believe that British isle will get the fight. 

Ryan Garcia story keeps getting worse putting in question his victory over Devin Haney.  He flunked his second drug test and while he still denies he used anything illegal or he has ever had a history in the past, there are no questions he acted erratic. He chugged a beer at weight in, came in three pounds overweight and leaving people wondering what was going on.. Garica was considered the heavier puncher and showed that as he knocked down Haney three times but how much was that power natural power or due to performance enhancing drugs?  It will be interesting to see what state commissions and sanctioning bodies will do?  The possibility of a suspension has to be considered and certainly his victory over Haney needs to be vacated if not reversed. 

Garcia viewed Haney as that fight that would change perception but coming in overweight denied him a shot of winning a championship outright and now the PED controversy now puts even his biggest moment in boxing in jeopardy.