Imagine the scenario. Liverpool and Tottenham, fresh off their Champions League semi-final exploits, take a deep breath as they peer ahead to the final. They’re due to play each other in a momentous game that will determine the best team in Europe. Exciting previous battles have led to major intrigue around the game, with fans desperate to see the final shootout between the sides.

The sports world is buzzing, journalists are salivating, and Twitter Football has already rehearsed its off-the-cuff memes and GIFs. But then, rumours emerge that the game might not happen. Liverpool Chairman John Henry has suggested that the final hasn’t come at an ideal time, while Daniel Levy is adamant that there isn’t enough money at stake. The players are keen to play; this represents the highest level they can aspire to, but the rumours soon become more than fairytale.

Liverpool decide after prolonged negotiations that it makes more sense to play the final next season, so instead they’ll be facing Benfica on Sky Sports in a game to determine the greatest team to wear red. Spurs meanwhile have negotiated separately with BT Sport to rematch Ajax, the team they had already defeated in the semi-finals.

Sounds farcical right? Indeed, for pretty much every sport on the planet the idea of the best not facing the best is a ludicrous concept which goes against the very essence of sport. Roger Federer has never backed away from facing Rafael Nadal, and the Toronto Raptors didn’t decline to play the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. You wouldn’t get this in snooker, MMA, darts or shuffleboard – so why is such a scenario de rigueur in boxing?

Anthony Joshua is special, in pretty much every possible way. Intelligent – in and outside of the ring – physically commanding, successful, humble but assured. As an amateur and professional he’s achieved everything he’s needed to, and defeated everyone who dared to enter the ring against him. All rivals have fallen, box-office records smashed, and riches gained. He ticks every box you want when it comes to creating a crossover sports star, but the one asset missing is the hardest to achieve – legacy.

February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world Show all 16 1 /16 February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world Who is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world? The ranking of The Independent's 10 best male boxers on the planet. Take a look through to see who comes out on top. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world On the rise: Anthony Joshua Joshua recaptured his world heavyweight titles in dominant fashion, but in a new manner for the Briton: boxing beautifully off the back foot. He is now back in the mix, even if he is just behind Wilder and Fury, to be considered the best heavyweight in the world. All three are just on the outside of our list though until they fight each other AP February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world On the rise: Deontay Wilder Nobody can deny he has a claim as the most powerful puncher pound-for-pound, but despite wiping out Luis Ortiz, the Bronze Bomber needs to beat Tyson Fury clearly to justify a place inside the top 10 here EPA February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world In the mix: Tyson Fury Like Joshua and Wilder before, with a legitimate case to be the No 1 heavyweight in the world, Fury is just on the outside of our top 10 - if he manages to comprehensively beat Wilder - staying away from that big right hand for the full 12 rounds - he will be the first of the trio to leap back inside the top 10 Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world On the rise: Josh Taylor (16-0) Josh Taylor's win over Regis Prograis to win the WBSS at 140 pounds was a massive statement - he'll need to become the undisputed light welterweight champion by beating Jose Ramirez to make his place inside the top 10 indisputable Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world On the rise: Miguel Berchelt (37-1) Miguel Berchelt smashed Jose Sosa to pieces inside four rounds to defend his WBC super featherweight title - now 37-1 and undefeated since 2014 with 16 consecutive wins and six straight defences AFP via Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 10. Juan Francisco Estrada (39-3-0) The two-weight world champion grabbed the lineal super flyweight title against Sor Rungvisai to snatch his pound-for-pound status and the WBC gold. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 9. Mikey Garcia (39-1-0) Despite coming up short against Errol Spence in their welterweight bout, Garcia is still a modern great as a four-weight world champion. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 8. Gennady Golovkin (39-1-1) Despite suffering the first loss of his career against Canelo Alvarez, Golovkin's stellar career keeps him in our rankings. The boxing legend is now a two-time world champion. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 7. Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2) The Filipino looked sensational to outpoint Keith Thurman, flooring the American and rolling back the years at 40 years old to confirm himself as the No 3 welterweight in the world at worst. Considering the illustrious names on his resume, a place inside the top 10 pound-for-pound list and a world class win this year confirms his place here. AP February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 6. Errol Spence (26-0-0) Spence beat Shawn Porter to unify the welterweight division as he goes in search of more belts. Danny Garcia looks set to be next. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 5. Oleksandr Usyk (17-0-0) The undisputed, undefeated, unified cruiserweight world champion has successfully moved up in weight, beating Chazz Witherspoon on his heavyweight debut. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 4. Naoya Inoue (19-0-0) The man nicknamed the 'monster' beat Nonito Donaire to win the World Boxing Super Series and move to 19-0 after a hard fought battle. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 3. Terence Crawford (35-0-0) Another three-weight world champion, Crawford enters our top three and reaffirmed his place as one of the sport's greats after a knockout win against Amir Khan. Getty Images February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 2. Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2) One loss and a whole heap of controversy but Canelo's record is one to be celebrated, a now four-weight world champion and still not even 30 years of age. The biggest star in the sport and an impressive KO win of Sergey Kovalev cements his standing, arguably has a claim to the throne, but he just misses out here. USA TODAY Sports February top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world 1. Vasyl Lomachenko (14-1-0) There can only be one. The king of the amateur game has stepped up to become the king of the professionals. Just 15 fights into his career and despite one career defeat, the current unified lightweight world champion sets records for days. Loma won a world title in his third fight, became a two-weight champion in his seventh, and a three-weight champion in his twelfth fight. The king. Less magic against a brave Luke Campbell, but more brutality, slashing body shots and exquisite balance and movement. Who's next? Commey, Lopez, Davis? Getty Images

Creating a legacy isn’t defeating a 41-year-old inactive Wladmir Klitschko. It’s not outpointing Joseph Parker or stopping a one-armed Dillian Whyte. A legitimate legendary status comes from beating the biggest names of all.

As luck would have it, there are two legacy opponents with undefeated records in Joshua’s heavyweight division. Yet despite years of hype, Joshua isn’t fighting Deontay Wilder tonight, or Tyson Fury. Instead he’s fighting Andy Ruiz, a stocky, unheralded Mexican-American heavyweight whose gait is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his entire being.

You want to know the worst part? You’re going to have to pay £20 to watch it; £20 to watch a world-class athlete fight an unathletic, inactive boxer who has never beaten an opponent of note in their prime. Sure, Ruiz was a late replacement for Jarrell Miller who decided that gorging on PEDs was the best preparation for fighting Joshua, but his entry into this fight has been created on sheer desperation and not through authentic audience respect

Ruiz is significantly shorter than Joshua, in worse aesthetic and physical shape, has boxed one viable contender his whole career and has neither the size, power or stamina to challenge his decorated opponent past the first three rounds. Is this the best Matchroom could do? To protect their investment, it is. But the need for protection is only a reality because of the lack of risks Joshua and his promoters have taken over the past two years.

While sport thrives on tell-tale gossip, boxing takes petty bureaucracy and double standards to a completely different level. Hands up who is bored with hearing about multi-million dollar offers, venue demands and rematch clauses? Negotiations don’t make fights any more intriguing, they don’t help generate hype or increase pay-per-view buys. Instead, they create tedium and anger, both at boxers and their promotional partners.

Moreover, it makes boxing antiquated and boring. We don’t get this anywhere else, and we don’t want it. There are no viable excuses as to why Anthony Joshua isn’t fighting Wilder or Fury tonight that genuinely matter. If it was genuinely wanted, from any side, it would be happening. Concessions would be created, a line in the sand drawn. What do we have instead? Average opponents fighting the cream of the division for lesser rewards and greater risk.

Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr is not the fight we deserve (Action Images via Reuters)

Inside the ring, Anthony Joshua is a stone-cold machine who is getting better physically and tactically all the time. These developments will destroy Andy Ruiz, and there’s no doubt that Joshua skillset will give Wilder and Fury plenty of problems.

It’s not fear of the fighter stopping the big bouts from happening, but fear of losing relevancy. Boxing is fickle. An athlete can go from must-see to yesterday’s news over 12 measly rounds. If the scorecards had been correct in the Wilder/Fury fight and the Briton walked away with the deserved victory, Wilder’s stock would have dimmed dramatically. Instead, the draw increased the intrigue and the three-way jostle for true heavyweight glory continued.

The key is timing. Wilder only chose to fight Fury because he imagined that Fury had peaked. He was wrong. But that’s precisely why the world is craving for two of the big three to get in the ring together before a severe loss of skills.