December 3 sees Tyson Fury defend his WBC world heavyweight title against Dereck Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. It's not quite the bouts with Anthony Joshua or Aleksandr Usyk that we'd hoped to have been seeing. While Europe dominates the heavyweight scene, will American boxers be able to become world heavyweight champion in 2023?
According to Ohio.bet, betting companies, including those in the US have Fury as an overwhelming favorite to retain his title on December 3. The odds are that the pre-match press conferences will be more entertaining (and longer) than the actual fight on December 3.
Viewers from all over the world will see Fury wear outlandish clothes and Chisora promising to upset the odds and finally become a world champion. There'll probably be a bit of pushing and shoving too, that's often the case when Chisora is around.
Fury has already beaten Chisora twice, and sportsbooks in the US and around the world won't be expecting anything but a third victory. There are far better matches that Fury could have had this December.
There are a few American boxers who would have jumped at the chance of fighting Fury. Two of them are former world champions, eager to again have title belts around their waist.
Andy Ruiz Jr upset the odds at US online sportsbooks three years ago when beating Anthony Joshua for the title. It was the first pro fight for Joshua on American soil and Ruiz stopped him in the seventh round.
The return contest was less spectacular with Ruiz Jr out of shape for the title defense. Joshua won a wide points decision and we didn't see the former champion back in the ring until 2021. He's had two fights since losing his title. Both were won via 12-round points decisions against Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.
Those betting with US sportsbooks on him winning those fights did have some nervous moments. Arreola knocked Ruiz down in the second round of their fight and most of the fight against Ortiz was fought with a cut eye.
The Californian would love a chance to regain his world title. He's not going to be short of opponents in 2023, that is for sure. The WBC are keen to match him with Deontay Wilder in a final eliminator for Fury's title. A third fight with Anthony Joshua is also a possibility for the American.
Deontay Wilder made his comeback to the ring in October of this year. He took on Robert Helenius and anyone going to American bookmakers and betting on a first round win did well. Wilder made a stunning return to win with three seconds of round one remaining.
That was the first fight for the American since October 2021 and his first win since beating Luis Ortiz three years ago. Although winning in the first round was spectacular, was it what Wilder needed? More time in the ring would have been a lot more helpful for the former champion.
A fight with Ruiz would have US bookmakers thinking hard about who to make favorite. Wilder has the punching power, no one can deny that fact. Ruiz was knocked down by Arreola and Joshua, so the odds of Wilder being able to do the same must be high. However, Wilder is no stranger to the canvas himself and Ruiz fancies his chances of beating him.
If Wilder and Fury win their next fights, then we could see them fight for the fourth time. Fury has already said he'd love to fight Wilder at Wembley Stadium. Then again, he's also retired a few times in 2022. Betting on what he says next is never an easy task.
While most want to see a fight for the undisputed title in 2023, the road to that is a bumpy one. Usyk has been ordered to defend his IBF title against top contender Filip Hrgovic. That's probably a fight he won't be too interested in taking and could vacate that belt.
Usyk may well prefer a fight with Fury or to take on the Ruiz v Wilder winner. Another fight with Anthony Joshua could be possible if the former champion can get back into winning ways in 2023.
Anyone who bets on boxing will know only all too well that upsets can happen. Chisora's best days are well behind him and none were as impressive as Fury can be. 2023 is likely to start with Tyson Fury still the WBC world heavyweight champion.
What will happen over the next 12 months remains to be seen. The man who retired after beating Dillian Whyte now has several fighters he wants to take on. Will that include more all-British fights, such as Joshua, Joyce or Dubois? Or will American bookmakers be offering odds on Wilder and Ruiz Jr reclaiming past glories?
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