Heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis has weighed in on whether Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua merit a shot at becoming three-time world champions when they finally clash.
The British rivals are slated to meet on December 11 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, with reports indicating the vacant WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title will be on the line. The belt was last held by Oleksandr Usyk, who vacated his trilogy of world titles following his stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven.
In Usyk’s absence, Murat Gassiev held the WBA ‘regular’ title, positioning him as the organization’s sole heavyweight titlist after a sixth-round knockout of Peter Kadiru in July. However, Gassiev’s championship standing has been complicated by the potential designation of Fury-Joshua for the ‘super’ belt.
Given that both men are coming off tune-up bouts against limited opposition, critics have questioned whether either deserves to compete for world honors at this stage. Speaking with Playbook Boxing, however, former undisputed champion Lewis argued that merit is secondary to opportunity.
“If the title’s out there – take it, grab it. I believe so [they deserve it].”
When asked if he expects the winner to defend the title as a traditional champion, Lewis was unequivocal.
“Well, I hope so, because who wants to be a paper champion?”
For his part, Joshua has stated that a victory over Fury would prompt him to pursue a unification bout with Gassiev to settle any debate regarding the division’s true champion.