UFC boss Dana White has offered his solution to the ongoing problem of top heavyweights fighting lesser opposition.
On the back of Tyson Fury fighting Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder agreeing a rematch with already-beaten Luis Ortiz, White is adamant he has the answer to the divisional problems.
White is set to bring his own promotional company, Zuffa, into boxing shortly, with some even predicting a UBC (Ultimate Boxing Championship) brand will be formed.
Announcing plans to ignore the current governing bodies, White could even bring his own belt into play, like with the UFC titles.
If White had full control over the sport, the outspoken figure would order the big four heavies out of commission.
Fury and Wilder, alongside Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua, would then have 30 months to face each other in a tournament to crown one sole champion.
Dana White’s heavyweight plan
“It’s easy to sit here and tell you this is what I would do. Doing it is another story. But the first thing I would do is a no-brainer; it’s not rocket science,” White told Sirius XM Fight Nation in a radio interview.
“If you look at the four top heavyweights in the world right now, these guys should be fighting each other. They’re the big fights people want to see.
“There are tonnes of money in it. You’d set up fights for the next two and a half years with just the four top heavyweights.
“People would care. It’d be interesting. People want to see the best fight the best. I’ve definitely proven that in the last 20 years.”
So how would the round-robin work?
Well, Ruiz and Joshua are fighting on December 7, with Fury and Wilder expected to rematch in February next year.
That leaves the two victors to battle it out for the undisputed crown later in 2020, barring any further draws.
The losers could then fight each other, and so on, until the summer of 2022.
It may become somewhat repetitive, though.
The blueprint would be a tough sell to boxing fans and the remainder of the alienated 200-pound plus contenders.
Here’s how Dana White’s plan could go:
Heavyweight round-robin
DEC 7, 2019
Ruiz vs Joshua 2
FEB 22, 2020
Wilder vs Fury 2
JUNE/JULY 2020
Joshua vs Fury
Wilder vs Ruiz
NOV/DEC 2020
Fury vs Wilder 3
Ruiz vs Joshua 3
APRIL/MAY 2021
Wilder vs Joshua
Fury vs Ruiz
SEPT/OCT 2021
Wilder vs Ruiz 2
Joshua vs Fury 2
MARCH/APR 2022
Wilder vs Joshua 2
Fury vs Ruiz 2
EVENTUAL CHAMPION – ?
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