There Could Be An Eight-Man Heavyweight Tournament To Crown New Champion If Tyson Fury Retires

​There could be an eight-man heavyweight tournament to determine a new WBC world heavyweight champion if Tyson Fury retires. 

​'The Gypsy King' supposedly called time on his legendary career after defending his title against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium last month.

If the unbeaten world champion does indeed stay retired, then WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman​ has suggested that they could stage a tournament to crown a new king. 

Judging by the WBC rankings, a host of big names could be included in such tournament, including No.1 ranked heavyweight Deontay Wilder. ​

The top eight also includes the likes of Joe Joyce, Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. ​

Not to mention Joseph Parker, Frank Sanchez, Arslanbek Makhmudov​ and Luis Ortiz. 

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has suggested that they could stage a tournament to determine a new WBC heavyweight champion if Tyson Fury does retire and vacate. This the current top eight in the WBC rankings… [@SkySports] pic.twitter.com/C6CZqp9X1l

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 17, 2022

Asked if Wilder could be in contention to fight for a potential vacant WBC title, Sulaiman ​replied: "​Certainly! Because he is the number-one ranked contender in the division."

He added: "I spoke to him a couple of months ago, he is doing great and he is looking forward to resuming his boxing career. We have one year to have the next mandatory fight.

"At this moment, we will wait the decision of Tyson Fury, and then we will either do a series of fights - a boxing tournament - going into a final elimination, but at this time we’re going to wait because we don’t know the specific circumstances.

"I believe that Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker are fighting for the WBO interim championship, but I have not confirmed that. All of the variables may change."​

There is no shortage of heavyweight contenders if Fury does retire and subsequently vacate his iconic green and gold belt. 

The thought of Wilder, Whyte and Ruiz Jr clashing in a tournament would inject fresh impetus into boxing's blue-ribbon division. 

Would you want to see a tournament to crown a new WBC world heavyweight champion? Let us know.