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In this week’s Fight Talk, we look at the future of the heavyweight division, with Anthony Joshua set to decide on Wednesday whether he will accept a step-aside offer to pave the way for Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk.
Francis Ngannou was victorious at UFC 270 – but is Fury an option next? We also look at rivals Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall, who have been exchanging words on social media.
It’s Fight Talk – your weekly fix of boxing news.
AJ to step aside for Fury v Usyk?
After news broke that Anthony Joshua was open to accepting a £15m step-aside offer, the two-time heavyweight world champion stepped up to deny he had agreed to any such proposal.
‘I ain’t signed no contract, I ain’t seen no contract,” he said.
He may well do so by Wednesday on a potentially decisive day for the division.
Either Joshua will accept an offer to step aside from a rematch with Usyk, who took his WBO, IBF and WBA (Super) belts in September, or purse bids will take place for WBC champion Fury to face mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte.
With a Fury-Usyk undisputed contest whetting the appetite of fight fans and touted to take place in the Middle East, Joshua’s reaction only fuelled more speculation about what will happen.
Debates also raged as to whether it was the right thing to do to play the waiting game – or jump back into another clash with Ukrainian Usyk.
So what is the smartest move for Joshua in order to get him back on top? Let’s not forget how much the heavyweight landscape has dramatically changed over the past 18 months.
Once upon a time we were all set for Joshua v Fury in the summer of 2020. And where does Whyte fit into all of this?
Fury keeps an eye on Ngannou
Fury congratulated Francis Ngannou following his victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
The Gyspy King then teased the Cameroonian MMA star by telling him to move to boxing in order to make more money – something Ngannou has been outspoken about in recent months.
Ngannou would later reply to Fury, with just an image of himself and Fury, pitching a potential fight in 2022.
Would you like to see this fight? How would you see it going? Get involved on Twitter using #bbcboxing
Shields and Marshall take their feud further
Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall have been locked in a feud dating back 10 years.
In 2012, Marshall inflicted the sole defeat of Shields’ boxing career, amateur or professional, when she beat the American at the World Amateur Championships.
But speaking to DAZN, Shields has taken a swipe at Marshall, saying she doesn’t worry about the Hartlepool fighter.
She said: “I never think about Savannah Marshall, I only think about the best. To me, Savannah Marshall is not the best.”
Marshall was not impressed with Shields’ comments.
Shields then continued her tirade at Marshall and said she would “smoke” her once she gets past Ema Kozin in Cardiff on 5 February.
It didn’t stop there as Marshall fired back at Shields.
Marshall v Shields is arguably the biggest bout in women’s boxing and the war of words only reinforces the desire to see these two step inside the ring at some point in 2022.
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