• Steve Bunce

Return of the heavyweight

Tyson Fury defeated Dereck Chisora in a final eliminator for Wladimir Klitschko's WBO belt © Getty Images

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Wladimir Klitschko fought twice, Anthony Joshua biffed out seven and David Haye twice hinted that he will be back.

Down Under a couple of likely lads were tearing up the scene, in America a heavyweight championship fight finally took place and the winner, who was born in Haiti, lives in Las Vegas.

It was, I think, a good year for heavyweights all over the globe and in London nearly 19,000 paid to watch the rematch between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora, which was a final eliminator for Klitschko's WBO belt.

The WBC convened in Las Vegas in early December to put their stamp of approval on the world title fight at the MGM in January; Bermane Stiverne, their champion, will fight Deontay Wilder. It's the first heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas since 2006.

Buncey's Vaults

• David Haye was just 17 when he "reached the light-heavyweight final of his first international tournament". Haye had knocked out a world ranked-Ukrainian the night before in Liverpool and was fighting Germany's Khodor Zaher in the semi-final.
• Zaher was beaten in the fourth round: "Haye was leading 10-0 at the time and Zaher had been dropped by a perfect right cross in round two of a bout that surely sealed Haye's future as one of British boxing's most exciting talents." It did and he was.
• "However, a damaged knuckle in Haye's right hand is likely to keep him out of tomorrow night's final" It did. The knuckle, by the way, was damaged in the previous fight when Haye knocked out the Ukrainian with an uppercut and his opponent's teeth had cut through the gumshield, the glove and the bandages to cut Haye's knuckle! True story.
• As reported in the Daily Telegraph on June 26, 1998.

Wilder stopped or knocked out two in 2014 and will enter the ring with 32 straight stoppages.

Stiverne overcame Chris Arreola to win the vacant WBC title in one of the best championship fights involving the big boys for many, many years.

The rise of the heavyweights in America persuaded Big Wlad that it was time to pack his fighting gear and once again try to crack the traditional marketplace - the USA. Klitschko last fought in America in 2008, which was 13 title defences ago, and on that poor night at Madison Square Garden he was booed from the ring.

Klitschko will fight American Bryant Jennings, so we are led to believe, at the Barclays Centre, Brooklyn, on April 25 and then the plan is to fight the winner of Stiverne v Wilder. It is a crazy scheme.

Jennings is unbeaten in 19 and in July beat Mike Perez, the Cuban exile, on a tight, tight split.

Jennings is also, like Wilder, a mandatory with the WBC and that, presumably, is the reason he is reluctant to agree Klitschko's terms. Jennings, you see, will have to fight the winner of Stiverne v Wilder. He has a world title fight, he just has to decide which option is best.

If Jennings takes the Klitschko fight the mandatory position will be vacant and the WBC, just to be safe, have sanctioned a fight between former world champion, and Klitschko victim, Alexander Povetkin and Perez in a final eliminator. Perez, Povetkin and Jennings will all probably feature in a world title fight next year.

Fury, in theory, has to fight Klitschko next year for the WBO belt, but Big Wlad, who made two defences this year, could vacate and keep his WBA and IBF versions. Klitschko at 38 is looking very dangerous and had to brawl his way to victory over unbeaten Kubrat Pulev in one of his two fights in 2014. Pulev is, trust me, a serious handful.

In New Zealand Joe Parker, who is just 22, beat five in 2014 and probably needs more rounds but in Australia Lucas Big Daddy Browne is ready now. Browne thought that he would get the shout from the WBC for the mandatory fight. Incidentally, Browne went the full 12 rounds with Andriy Rudenko in 2014 and Rudenko fights Hughie Fury in Monaco in February.

Hughie is an enigma at the moment, though. He won an under-19 world amateur title and at 20 has won all 14 fights as a pro. It will be very interesting if he can do a job on Rudenko, who has only lost once in 26 fights. It is an inspired and bold piece of matchmaking.

And finally, there is Anthony Joshua, who is now 25 and looked good all year as his opponents, all seven, collapsed under the power from his fists - it looked like one or two even collapsed just from the threat of the power of his fists. Joshua moves from baby starlet to contender status in his next fight when he meets Kevin Johnson. It is a tough fight and he is ready for it.

Did I forget to mention that Audley Harrison will be back? David Price's rehab continues in Germany and Haye swears that this time he will be back with a vengeance.

Anthony Joshua won all of his fights in 2014 by stoppage © Getty Images

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