Monday 7 March 2016 13:55, UK
The heavyweight scene has got everyone talking thanks to Tyson Fury but Anthony Joshua will take the sport in a new era, says Glenn McCrory...
We are about to enter a new era in world boxing, one that is going to put boxing right back on the map.
The heavyweight division is electric right now and it is only going to get bigger and better on April 9, when Anthony Joshua takes on Charles Martin.
We already have Tyson Fury top of the tree at the moment, David Haye back in business and big, strong and talented heavyweights from all around the world - not just from America - like the old days.
Here in Britain we have Tyson, we've got Haye and of course, we've got Anthony Joshua - and he will probably become the best of the lot
But in years gone by the heavyweight scene was the main scene and everything was measured by the heavyweight world champion. You can go as far back as Jack Dempsey, then Joe Louis through to Muhammad Ali and, of course, Mike Tyson.
They all had plenty of great challengers and good fights to be made and that is starting to come back. I am not sure that some of the current world champions are as good as even the challengers used to be, but we are about to see things change for the good.
It all tailed off when the Klitschko brothers took over but that is over now. It was a double jeopardy situation because Vitali was good, then Wladimir came in and was as good as his brother. Beating one to win a world title was bad enough, but the other door was shut as well.
Well thanks to big Tyson getting Wladimir out of the way, we are about to enter a new era. Heavyweight boxing is back in business and it's great, not just for our sport, but for sport in general.
Yes we've got an American heavyweight champion in Deontay Wilder, but now we've got an Australian in the shape of Lucas Browne, a Kiwi in Joseph Parker who looks like he's going to fight for one soon and the Cuban, Luis Ortiz.
My only downpoint with Browne is the way the WBA is still a bit of a title mess - but he has been waiting and waiting, kept to the sidelines and been out of the spotlight but to stop Ruslan Chagaev in Russia was something.
Credit to him for taking a risk like that, never mind being put down, getting back up and stopping him in 10. He is now in the picture - a big picture.
But best of all, here in Britain we have Tyson, we've got Haye and of course, we've got Joshua - and he will probably become the best of the lot.
Fury might not have captured the imagination the way Joshua has and for some reason - and unfairly - people are always trying to put him down, but it is going to go up a gear when Joshua wins that world title.
I am a big Fury fan but if I am honest, the boxing world is going to go Joshua mad once he beats Charles Martin. He is hugely popular and his profile is huge but he is going to become that new heavyweight boss, who everyone wants to see and who everyone wants to try and beat.
It is amazing times right now and that new era is bubbling away. Believe me, the heavyweight scene is going to become unbelievable in the next few weeks.
