Some may feel the fight will sell itself, while others are perhaps not worried about spending a lot of money promoting a bout that will have a massive paycheque for both fighters secured thanks to the site free offered by Saudi Arabia.
Either way, it is still a surprise that we have not heard more from Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and certainly that we have not got more coverage of the build up to the event. There is little doubt that both will be preparing very well, but that extra touch would bring in a few more eyes, yet instead we are having a pretty quiet run up to the biggest Heavyweight Fight in this generation.
Jaime Munguia produced a solid win over John Ryder last week and he has certainly leapt near to the front of the line as the boxer most fight fans would want to see go in against Canelo Alvarez.
David Benavidez still leads the way, but both Super Middleweights could be out of luck if reports are to be beleieved.
The suggestion is that Jermall Charlo will be the first opponent for Canelo in 2024 as he looks to avenge the one-sided loss suffered by Jermell, while there is a suggestion that Terence Crawford will then moving up from Welterweight to become the next Challenger.
It would be a disappointment for the fans, but the hope is that Benavidez vs Munguia is a potential fight to see this season, while David Morrell and the winner of the rumoured Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol Undisputed Light Heavyweight Title fight may also be someone that David Benavidez could target.
So even without the Canelo bouts, there are some considerable options out there in and around the Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions, even if none of those bouts will offer the same kind of financial reward as taking on the 'face of Boxing'.
There is a big Light-Heavyweight bout headlining in London this weekend and the winner is likely going to be a Number 1 contender to the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol bout that is rumoured to take place in June.
It is a local derby between the headliners, while we also have the likes of Adam Azim taking the next step in his push towards World honours.
Over in the United States, Conor Benn continues his controversial return to the sport having still been denied the right to fight in the United Kingdom. This ended any hope of facing Chris Eubank Jr as planned and the situation is pretty embarrassing for the fighter and his promoter, although the entire team continues to push ahead with their own plans.
This post was ready to go, but the news that the Fury-Usyk fight has been postponed has only just broken.
It is a huge disappointment to say the least and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the card is handled- with a big card coming up on March 8th, assuming no injuries, some of the bouts scheduled could be moved onto that date. Other reports suggest Team Usyk are looking at Filip Hrgovic as a potential late replacement where the Champion can clear his IBF mandatory, but the news is so fresh that changing plans will likely be revealed in the days ahead.
Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez
Boxxer and Sky Sports felt they had made a massive coup by enticing Joshua Buatsi over to join the team after spending his career with Matchroom.
A court case is going to take place to determine whether Buatsi was asked to breach his contract, but Ben Shalom and company have signed him with this bout in mind.
Even before signing up with Boxxer, Joshua Buatsi has been highly Ranked with a number of the Boxing organisations and he was criticised for not taking an opportunity to fight for a World Title against Dmitry Bivol.
The career has stalled somewhat with Joshua Buatsi only heading out into the ring once in both 2022 and 2023, although this bout was delayed a couple of months after an injury to Dan Azeez.
The British Light Heavyweight Champion will feel he has been operating under Buatsi's shadow for much of his life and Dan Azeez has admitted that he has been influenced by the successes his rival has had.
They were friends, but this is business and a big chance for the unbeaten Dan Azeez to move ahead to World level- he is highly Ranked too, but this feels a considerable step up compared with previous opponents. He has been a lot more active though and that may be a factor in this one with Dan Azeez having won the European Light Heavyweight Title last year and having a tick-along Eight Round win in July.
Dan Azeez will be looking to make things tough by working hard and pushing Joshua Buatsi for every second they share the ring.
However, you do have to give Joshua Buatsi a massive experience edge having earned wins over the likes of Craig Richards and the 30 year old has shown he can wear down opponents with his power and skills.
You have to believe this will be a fight that should gel well, even if the fighters are familiar with the kind of threat the other poses. Sometimes that familiarity can make for a cautious fight, one that feels more like another sparring session rather than a competitive outing, and that has to be a concern.
In saying that, there is a smouldering intensity growing between the fighters as we head towards the bout and both are expected to leave plenty in the ring.
The feeling is that Dan Azeez will make this very competitive, but Joshua Buatsi will be the stronger, more skilled fighter and can take control after halfway.
Joshau Buatsi has shown he has finishing power late in contests and he will know how to get to Dan Azeez, which may really show up in the second half of the contest. This is where Buatsi may just turn the screw to end any discussion about this rivalry and he can find a Stoppage before turning his attention to the World Champions, or potentially Anthony Yarde in a monster domestic clash.
There are a number of fighters on the undercard who will be hoping to develop into headline acts in the coming years.
Big things are expected from flamboyant Ben Whittaker who is going to be taking on his sixth professional fight. Injury has perhaps slowed the progress, but at 26 years old he does have time on his side and this is his fourth outing in nine months as he looks to move his career forward.
He is facing a veteran in Khalid Graidia who will be looking to survive from the opening bell- while Whittaker can take a bit of time to showboat for the crowd, he should eventually push through the gears and look to surpass Dan Azeez who needed the cards to beat Graidia last year.
If there are big expectations on the shoulders of Ben Whittaker, it can be argued that even more of a burden is being carried by Adam Azim who has made no secret of the kind of level he wants to reach before the end of the year.
Winning a World title in the Light-Welterweight Division will be the first ambition, but Azim is also young enough to believe he will grow and become a multiple weight World Champion.
He won the European Light-Welterweight Belt in November and promised to defend it against Enock Poulsen, which serves as the chief support at Wembley Arena.
Adam Azim will be well backed from his supporters and he can show that he is ready to move on his career from European level by breaking down the unbeaten Dane.
Enock Poulsen just does not look to have enough pop to deter Azim from coming forward and he is going to be fighting outside of Denmark for the first time, while also facing an opponent much better than what he has seen in his previous fourteen wins.
They share a common opponent in Franck Petitjean, but it was Azim who showed the level difference against the Frenchman and is likely going to force another Stoppage just after halfway.
Over in the United States, Matchroom have stuck with the February 3rd date for Conor Benn's next fight.
The hope was that it would be a major fight back in the United Kingdom, but a deal could not be struck with Chris Eubank Jr and the British Board of Control have yet to have their hearing with Benn after the failed tests in September 2022.
I know I am not the only one that is a little fed up of the saga, while Benn's 'victim' feeling seems completely out of sync with the fact he failed a couple of tests. That's not anything to do with the 'why' he failed, but the simple fact is that he did fail and expecting everyone to just forgive and forget without needing to explain himself seems a massively entitled stance to take.
So without a British licence, Conor Benn is fighting in the United States again after securing a Points win back in September against an opponent who ironically failed a test of his own after the bout. He did not look as good as he was prior to the failed tests, which will raise questions, but Conor Benn looks to be fighting someone against whom he is expected to look strong on Saturday.
Peter Dobson is saying the right things and he is unbeaten, but the record has not exactly been built on top quality names.
He also has not fought since June 2022 and the 33 year old American may struggle to deal with a considerable step up in class. This is designed for Conor Benn to produce a big win and then call out some of the top Welterweight names from the United States, and the expectation is that he gets ready of this overmatched opponent in the first half of the contest.
The undercard will feature Austin Williams in the chief support position, although his original opponent has withdrawn with an injury.
He will be expected to take care of Armel Mbumba-Yassa, an unbeaten fighter who is making his living in Germany.
However, this is a considerable step up for Mbumba-Yassa who has only been scheduled in a Ten Rounder once before and who has yet to hear the bell for the Seventh Round. He will say that underlines his qualities, but only two of his previous ten opponents have had a winning record entering the contest and Armel Mbumba-Yassa was last taking a Decision against someone with a 19-26-1 record.
Fighting outside of Europe for the first time will be a change, and he has not been out since September so this feels like a good showcase fight for the favourite.
The Romford Bull will be travelling with a strong support for the first time and Johnny Fisher is looking forward to announcing himself to the American audience.
He has shown flashes in his relatively young career, but Fisher is also going to have to be matched up very well as he continues his development.
This looks a good opportunity to produce a flashy finish against Dmytro Bezus who was brutally Knocked Out by David Adelaye in February 2023.
Heavyweight Boxing can change in an instant, but it would be a surprise if Bezus is getting his hand raised at the end of this one. Johnny Fisher tends to come out very fast and he might have enough power to finish this one very early to make it a very positive first visit to Las Vegas.
MY PICKS: Joshua Buatsi to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Ben Whittaker to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.75 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Adam Azim to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.50 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Conor Benn to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.62 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Johnny Fisher to Win Between 1-2 @ 2.62 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Boxing 2024: 4-4, + 7.06 Units (11 Units Staked, + 64.18% Yield)
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