Luis Ortiz vs. Alexander Ustinov in jeopardy, Ruslan Chagaev stripped

This past January, the WBA announced its intention to unify its three heavyweight titles via tournament. The left bracket featured Tyson Fury vs. Wladimir Klitschko for the "Super" belt and Luis Ortiz vs. Alexander Ustinov for the interim belt, while the right bracket saw Ruslan Chagaev vs. Lucas Browne for the standard title with the winner facing Fres Oquendo in the semis.

Predictably, it’s been something of a crapshoot.

Fury-Klitschko II was postponed due to injury and promotional issues pushed Ortiz-Ustinov all the way back to Canelo Alvarez’s upcoming pay-per-view bout with Liam Smith. The only fight that’s actually happened is Chagaev-Browne, which saw the big Aussie score a stunning knockout. He then tested positive for clenbuterol, invalidating the victory and setting up a rematch between "White Tyson" and Oquendo.

Things have recently gone even further off the rails. Ortiz-Ustinov is reportedly on the verge of breaking down and Chagaev appears to have vanished off the face of the earth, losing his belt after making no effort to put together his mandatory bout with Oquendo despite multiple notifications of his duties.

If things don’t plunge any further, Fres Oquendo will get a chance to be the undisputed WBA champion. Let that sink in.

Boxing tournaments: not even once.