On November 13, 1999, Lennox Lewis triumphed over Evander Holyfield in the highly-anticipated rematch to capture the American’s WBA and IBF heavyweight titles.
In doing so, Lewis became the first heavyweight since Riddick Bowe seven years earlier to reign uncontested atop boxing’s most storied division as the undisputed champion.
Though he would immediately avenge the only defeated he suffered following that night in Paradise, Nevada, Lewis’ reign as undisputed champion would prove to be short lived, with his WBA title being stripped just months later for failing to fight the association’s number one contender.
The situation only worsened following Lewis’ retirement in 2004, with the Klitschko brother maintaining a stranglehold on the heavyweight division with the pair dividing the titles between them for nearly a decade.
Vitali and Wladimir’s duopoly atop the weight class couldn’t last forever however, and the void opened following their respective retirements allowed new life to be breathed into a division that had reached a nadir.
Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight champion
The achievement has yet to be repeated since then, with Lewis being stripped of one of the belts shortly after
The heavyweight titles were divided between the Klitschko brothers throughout much of the 2000s
With the once-fractured division no longer ruled by two champions that would never fight one another, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk all emerged as potential undisputed champions, with each holding a piece of the crown at various times.
As always though, in boxing things are rarely as simple as they seem.
On multiple occasions, a clash between Fury and Joshua was simultaneously the most prestigious, and most lucrative fight available to both men.
As they shared the belts a clash could have determined an undisputed heavyweight king and marked the first time two Britons had contested the title.
Their massive fan bases combined with long standing rivalry punctuated by social media spats would have come together for an event that would have easily broken pay-per-view, live gate, and attendance records for a fight staged in the UK.
And yet, the bout never came to fruition.
Both sides pointed the finger at the other, with periods of intense speculation followed by streaks of silence before the undisputed element was removed when Joshua’s world title reign came to an end against Usyk in 2021.
After solidifying his place atop the division in their rematch, the Ukrainian has taken Joshua’s place on a collision course with Fury to determine the division’s first undisputed king in more than two decades.
And despite countless false starts and diversions, signs are starting to look evermore positive that the pay-per-view showdown could finally take place next year.
In his first fight in more than twelve months, Usyk returned to the ring on Saturday in front of an adoring crowd in Poland and summarily defeated British prospect Daniel Dubois via a ninth-round KO.
Anthony Joshua was twice just one title away from becoming an undisputed champion
A history-making all-British undisputed clash with Tyson Fury for the WBC belt failed to materialise
The performance should have served as the perfect lead-in to a fight with Fury, but the controversial incident in round five has served to complicate matters, with Dubois’ team determined to appeal believing the fight should be ruled a no contest.
Frank Warren works with both Dubois and Fury, and added that in the event the result is not overturned, Dubois should be granted a rematch, but stressed a potential undisputed fight could still take place next year.
‘That fight [between Fury and Usyk], we were talking about doing that fight early next year and that is still the plan.’ Warren told talkSPORT.
‘The plan was that the winner of the fight on Saturday was to fight Tyson [Fury] early next year. So that won’t go on before then.
‘Because of what the bigger picture is, you can’t just cast aside Daniel’s situation. He was unfairly treated there.’
While Usyk could realistically return to the ring later this year before a 2024 mega-showdown with Fury, the assumption seems to ignore the possibility that Dubois could emerge victorious in a rematch.
Of course, the 25-year-old was soundly beaten outside of the controversial incident in Wroclaw, but the power he carries is undeniable, and the history of heavyweight boxing is littered with examples of a single punch changing the trajectory of a fight.
A hypothetical rematch win for Dubois would almost certainly necessitate a trilogy between the pair that would render an early 2024 undisputed clash for either fighter virtually impossible.
But even if a rematch isn’t ordered, a fight between Usyk and Fury is far from guaranteed.
There are hopes that Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk sometime next year for all of the belts
But Usyk may first need to rematch Daniel Dubois after their controversial clash last week
In recent years Fury has repeatedly threatened to step away from boxing, and even recently hinted that his fight in October could prove to be his last.
The Gypsy King is currently scheduled to face former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou in a controversial ‘super fight’ to be staged in Saudi Arabia, and while few are expecting anything but a comfortable win for Fury a showdown with Usyk may still prove elusive.
A fight between the pair had been mooted for April, but plans collapsed with the pair unable to agree terms, with Fury reportedly demanding a 70-30 purse split and insisting that no rematch clause be included in any agreement.
The tale of two fighters failing to meet inside the ring due to contractual issues is one that has become frustratingly familiar for fight fans, but recent developments offer positive signs that an undisputed clash could finally come to fruition.