‘Confusing’ heavyweight division needs Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, says Steve Bunce

Steve Bunce admits the heavyweight division is “confusing” and can be “a bit embarrassing” due to the failure to make fights between boxing’s biggest stars actually happen.

The TNT Sports boxing expert has cited the frustrations over the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder being unable to agree several highly-anticipated bouts in recent years.

An all-British clash between Joshua and WBC champion Fury had been mooted for years but the former’s defeat to Usyk, and loss of his WBA, IBF and WBO titles, has potentially seen that opportunity pass.

Bunce has lamented the fact these headline bouts have not been made, especially given how desperate boxing observers are to see them take place.

“The heavyweight division at the moment is confusing,” he admitted. “It’s frustrating and often, let’s be absolutely brutally honest, a bit embarrassing.

“I find it amazing. Over the last seven or eight years, we had nearly three or four years where Deontay Wilder didn’t fight Anthony Joshua, they were both world champions.

“We had Tyson Fury out of business for a couple years after he pulled off a brilliant victory and beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 50,000 Germans in Dusseldorf, and we’ve got a situation since 2020 where we’re hoping for Fury to defend his title against Joshua.

“Then we’re hoping for Fury and Usyk to fight each other, then we’re hoping for AJ to have a fight with Fury as a challenger.

“So we’ve been waiting for fights. We’ve had these gaps. We’ve had frustrations, but in the middle of that, we still had 90,000 at Wembley [Fury v Dillian Whyte], we’ve still had blockbusters in Saudi Arabia, we’ve still been outdoors in December in front of 60,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium [Fury v Derek Chisora].

“Of course, we all want to see AJ and Fury. Of course, we all want to see Wilder against AJ. Of course, we all want to see Usyk against Wilder, Usyk against Fury.

“Those fights aren’t dead just because they haven’t happened, doesn’t mean they won’t happen.

“It’s both fantastic in many ways and it’s embarrassing that we can’t get these fights across the line.”

Despite this, Bunce remains optimistic that big fights will still continue to take place and even believes the Fury-Usyk bout could happen as he placed it on his 2024 boxing wish list.

Equally, the TNT Sports summariser also wants to see Joshua in action against his heavyweight rivals

“In 2024? I think we have to have Usyk and Fury and I think the silence at the moment is quite good,” he said.

“When I keep reading and hearing, having stories leaked by the various camps and the various people in the various camps, I don’t like that.

“That tends to suggest to me it’s not going to happen, but things have gone very quiet. I quite like that.

“I’m hoping it’s the lull before a storm of announcements and I’m hoping that we get Fury against Usyk.”

He added: “I’m British. I work in the British boxing business mostly, I want Fury and AJ.

“That’s just phenomenal. I want three Fury and AJ fights!”

Bunce also earmarked a fellow Brit in Daniel Dubois for some big fights, including a title rematch against Usyk.

Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren is attempting to secure a rematch having lodged an appeal to the WBA.

“Daniel Dubois has got some options, in my opinion,” Bunce suggested. “First of all, he’s got a natural rematch with Usyk if it can be made – there’s no guarantee it can be made, let’s get that absolutely right.

“If Dubois doesn’t fight Usyk, Frank Warren has talked about Dubois fighting AJ. That’s also an option.

“I’d love to see a rematch in this country in Britain with Usyk, British fans love Usyk. They love him, absolutely adore him.

“They’d come out, it’d be a lot of fun.”