According to the American boxing media, Crawford, the fourth-largest champion in the welterweight division, was stripped of his IBF gold belt due to the rematch with Spence, and was replaced by the IBF interim world champion Ennis. The news sparked an uproar in the boxing world and set off alarm bells for reigning official heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Usyk.
It is understood that the four-major organizational merger battle between Fury and Usyk was originally held on December 23, but considering the stumbling and stumbling of the match between Fury and Naganno, and the physical wear and tear, Fury could not return to his best form in less than two months, and the current news is that the match will be postponed to the end of February 2024.
In addition, Fury and Usyk also signed rematch contracts, which means that if the two start a rematch immediately after a fight, the boxing organization will most likely not agree, and there is no other way than to strip the winning side of the belt. Regardless of who has the last laugh, as long as the winner does not accept the challenge of the legal challenger, the IBF and WBO will make a move.
It is reported that the winner of Usyk vs Fury will next have to face IBF legal challenger Hrgovic and then WBO heavyweight interim world champion Zhang Zhilei, if Fury and Usyk activate the immediate rematch clause for the high appearance fee, the IBF will strip the winner of the belt, and Hrgovic will compete for the vacant throne with another fighter who is the highest ranked fighter in the IBF and willing to fight.
Once one of the belts is stripped of one, the belt holder will most likely no longer fulfill the boxing organization's arrangement, either give up or not accept the WBO legal title defense, and Zhang Zhilei will be righted up like Ennis and become the official world boxing champion.
It is worth mentioning that Tyson Fury has a new understanding of Zhang Zhilei's strength since he watched Zhang Zhilei's double kill of Joyce, so he signed a contract with Usyk after Zhang Zhilei won Joyce's rematch to avoid fighting Zhang Zhilei. But once Zhang Zhilei became the official World Boxing Champion of the WBO, Furi had to fight against Zhang Zhilei, of course, he could also retire as a way to avoid Zhang Zhilei.
As for how the heavyweight boxing landscape develops in the future, let's wait and see.