Fury v Usyk & Crawford v Spence – why are big fights not happening?

Everyone from traditionalists to casual fans were clamouring for an iconic bout between WBC belt holder Fury and WBA (Super), IBF and WBO champion Usyk.

It was almost agreed for 29 April at Wembley Stadium… but fell through.

Boxxer promoter Shalom hopes it is a “watershed moment” and leads to much-needed change.

“Hopefully we can step back and say ‘why is this happening?’,” he says. “Because it’s going to kill the sport.”

The Fury-Usyk saga is merely the latest instalment in an unwanted narrative becoming all too familiar in boxing.

On more than one occasion, a monumental all-British meeting between Joshua and Fury has collapsed.

When Joshua was unified champion, an undisputed contest with American Wilder never materialised over purse disputes.

“Boxing will always survive but when there is so frequently a failure to make the right fights, particularly in the heavyweight division, it does nothing for the sport’s reputation,” Christie says.

“Hardcore fans are used to the disappointment.

“But trying to explain why two boxers can’t just have a fight to the general public is very difficult,” adds Christie, who says the “constant teasing of information” about fights on social media inflames the problem.

Unified light-middleweight champion Natasha Jonas, who recently failed to reach terms with Claressa Shields, says social media is a double-edged sword when it comes to making fights happen.

“It’s easy to start having a go on social media. Everyone is like ‘fight, fight, fight’ – it’s like school playground behaviour,” she says.

“Social media has made it easier to start a rivalry to get fans interested, but everyone getting little bits of information is not helpful in getting business done.”