WBA to Sanction Joshua vs Fury as ‘Super’ Title Fight

The World Boxing Association is set to sanction the highly anticipated Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury bout for its vacant “Super” heavyweight title when the two former champions meet in Cardiff on December 11.

The fight will take place at the Principality Stadium in Wales, with both fighters returning to the world-title picture after losing their previous championship belts to Oleksandr Usyk.

The WBA “Super” heavyweight title became vacant after Usyk relinquished the belt earlier this year. Murat Gassiev subsequently became the organisation’s regular heavyweight champion after being elevated following Usyk’s departure from the division.

The decision to put the vacant “Super” title on the Joshua-Fury fight means the WBA will again have two recognised heavyweight champions.

Joshua and Fury are both former unified heavyweight champions and have been linked with a fight for more than a decade. Their meeting was repeatedly delayed before contracts were finally agreed for the December showdown.

Joshua, 36, enters the contest with a professional record of 30 wins and four defeats, including 27 victories by knockout. Fury, 38, has recorded 36 wins, two defeats and one draw, with 25 knockouts.

Both fighters have competed twice this year as part of their preparations for the long-awaited meeting.

Fury defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov by decision before stopping Mariusz Wach, while Joshua stopped Kristian Prenga in the second round of their July encounter, despite being knocked down twice earlier in the fight.

The WBA currently ranks Fury second and Joshua third among its heavyweight contenders, while Jarrell Miller occupies the top position.

The decision to sanction the bout has attracted criticism from some figures within boxing, particularly because Gassiev remains the organisation’s regular champion.

Newly crowned IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic questioned why Joshua and Fury were being allowed to compete for a world title despite neither currently holding a championship belt.

Gassiev has also reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the WBA’s plans.

The December 11 fight will nevertheless give Joshua and Fury an opportunity to reclaim a version of the heavyweight championship.

The winner will become a three-time world heavyweight champion, while the bout is expected to attract a global audience as one of the most anticipated heavyweight contests of the year.

The fight will be staged in Cardiff after previous discussions about holding the event in the United States were abandoned.