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Finally, AJ and Fury have decided to fight

You'd think Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury agreeing to financial terms on a two-fight pact would put the heavyweight division back on track.

Despite this, we can't see what's ahead in the darkness of required title defenses and would-be competitors on the route to an uncontested champion.

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Following Fury's win over Deontay Wilder in February and Joshua's victory over Andy Ruiz Jr., it was clear that an all-British showdown was in order. However, as is customary in boxing, the obvious move is frequently the last one made.

Wilder's rematch clause was invoked, as predicted. Meanwhile, Kubrat Pulev has been designated as Joshua's mandatory challenger.

Oh, and Dillian Whyte, whose only fault in his heavyweight career thus far has been a loss to Joshua in 2015, still can't seem to get a fight. He falls under the category of "too great a risk for the gain." It's also causing issues at the top of the division.

Whyte, who is the interim WBC champion and Fury's mandatory challenger, might compel the organization to promote Fury to "franchise" champion.

It's a method that Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum has talked about, and one that the WBC used in 2018 to make it easier for its best stars to dodge obligatory challenges.

The distinction has been used twice by the WBC. At middleweight, Canelo Alvarez was named the ‘franchise' champion, while Jermall Charlo, his mandatory challenger, was named the ‘regular' champion.

In the lightweight class, Vasyl Lomachenko and Devin Haney were given the same treatment.

Both boxers would be allowed to claim the title of ‘champion,' while Fury would be free to take the greatest fights available.

Nobody is requesting that the WBC proclaim Tyson Fury a 'franchise' champion, according to Arum.

“However, if Dillian Whyte pursues the concept of fighting Tyson Fury before facing Wilder again and then Joshua, I believe the WBC will go that way.”

“The general people is not foolish; they know who the champion is.

“I think we have to do the right thing, especially now that we haven't had any battles for a while.

“And doing the fights that truly appeal to the public is the proper thing to do.”

So, we've arrived.

The coronavirus has added to the confusion. Joshua, on the other hand, is slated to face Pulev next. According to Eddie Hearn, Fury will face Wilder, and Whyte will receive his championship chance at some time, maybe before the Fury-Joshua battle.

While it's exciting to think of the biggest fight in boxing in 2021 — Fury vs. Joshua in a British showdown that would captivate the globe — there's still plenty of time for things to go wrong.

You don't have to go too far back to realize that anything can, and almost certainly will, happen when two enormous people enter the ring together.

Before shocking the world — and, more crucially, AJ — in New York City, Andy Ruiz was happy, smiling, and munching Snickers bars. While Joshua reclaimed his belts, it wasn't without its scares as the tall Brit danced around his drunken opponent, who was always just one punch away from doing it all over again.