Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua Could Drop Heavyweight Titles to Make Fight Happen

A potential fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could crown a unified heavyweight champion, but organizers might not put their four titles on the line in order to make the bout happen.

"We have a fight on our hands, and sorry to the governing bodies, that eclipses all belts," promoter Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing (via BBC Sport).

Joshua holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, while Fury controls the WBC championship.

"We've just got to be a bit careful because you may be on the verge of saying, 'Let's just get rid of politics right now. Let's just drop all the belts because if we lose one belt, we might as well lose them all,'" Hearn added.

The issue with the belts on the line could be the finances, with each governing body getting money for their involvement. Hearn projected this could be "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for each organization.

Another challenge is boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who Joshua is required to defend his WBO title against. If he doesn't take the fight, the WBO could strip his title.

"Giving up the WBO belt means that Anthony Joshua is scared to fight Oleksandr Usyk," his manager Egis Klimas told Dan Rafael of Boxing Scene. "It means he sees a big risk fighting Oleksandr Usyk and losing. That's what it tells me."

Hearn indicated they could also pay Usyk "seven figures to step aside."

Considering there have never been all four heavyweight titles on the line in a single fight, that fact could be huge for the promotion of the event. However, it might not be required considering the talent of the two fighters with a combined 54-1-1 record.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum called it "the biggest Heavyweight championship fight since Ali-Frazier in 1971."

Even without the belts, there would likely be plenty of interest from boxing fans around the world.