WBA Could Place Title on Fury vs Joshua With Gassiev Semifinal Plan
Eddie Hearn has proposed a four-man WBA heavyweight tournament that would give the Fury-Joshua winner an easy title defense.
Eddie Hearn is working on a plan to put WBA heavyweight gold on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight on December 11 in Cardiff, and the path forward looks very favorable for both fighters, per Boxing News 24.
Hearn has proposed a four-man tournament structure to the WBA. The idea is simple: Fury fights Joshua and Murat Gassiev fights Jarrell Miller as a semifinal, with the winners meeting for the WBA title.
"Is it a Gassiev v Miller, like two semifinals, AJ against Fury and the winners fight," Hearn said, laying out the framework.
No official WBA resolution exists yet, but the logic behind the plan is clear. Placing a belt on the Fury-Joshua fight gives Joshua a chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion, which adds a massive storyline to an already enormous fight. For Fury, it means a world title opportunity without having to go through the top of the WBA rankings first.
That is also where the plan gets a bit cynical. The WBA heavyweight division has no shortage of legitimate contenders. Filip Hrgovic, Daniel Dubois, Frazer Clarke, Moses Itauma, and Fabio Wardley all rank among the best in the division. A Gassiev-Miller semifinal conveniently avoids all of them.
Gassiev, the former cruiserweight champion, has not demonstrated elite heavyweight credentials since moving up in weight. Miller carries significant baggage from multiple failed PED tests that have derailed his career at key moments. Neither presents the kind of challenge that the top heavyweights would.
The arrangement benefits both Fury and Joshua by offering a belt and a manageable path to a title defense after December 11. Whether the WBA signs off on it remains to be seen, but the framework is in place.
Let me get this straight. Two of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing are going to fight for a world title, and the path to keeping that belt after December involves beating either Murat Gassiev or Jarrell Miller. That is not a tournament. That is a layup.
I get it from Hearn's perspective. You want the belt on the fight because it makes Joshua a three-time champion if he wins, and that is a massive selling point. But the WBA should be embarrassed if they go along with Gassiev-Miller as the other semifinal. You have Dubois, Hrgovic, Itauma sitting right there. Real contenders who have earned their spot.
This is boxing politics at its finest. Protect the cash cow, find the softest possible landing on the other side, and call it a tournament. The fight itself is going to be huge regardless. Just call it what it is and stop pretending the belt means anything if this is how you get it.
