In June of this year boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told the press that fighters Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua had agreed in principle to fight one another.
Before a clash with Joshua, Fury must face Deontay Wilder for a third time in November, whilst Joshua is set to face the IBF’s mandatory challenger Pulev in the winter. With all of that to get out of the way it looks likely that the two won’t face off against one another until late summer 2021 with a potential rematch scheduled for the winter of the same year.
When the fight is confirmed, it will grab the attention as the fight is expected to be so close.
Promoter Eddie Hearn updates Sky Sports Boxing with the nitty-gritty of the Fury v Joshua deal
Fury vs Joshua – Real Beef
Boxing is full of fake falling outs and theatrical beefs as fighters scramble to create a war of words between one another to sell Box Office tickets for their fights. Whilst there may be bad blood between some fighters, most of it is fairly tame, apart from the beef between Fury and Joshua.
When Fury first stated his interest in taking on Joshua in the ring, he was met with patronising disdain. Joshua who was then one of the biggest boxing names in the world brushed off the idea of fighting Fury.
That led Fury to call out Joshua at almost every opportunity, calling him a chicken and calling into questioning his integrity. Fury believes that Joshua doesn’t have the courage to take on other gifted fighters, instead opting for dud opponents to further his reputation as a knock-out specialist.
Joshua has always remained calm in public when it comes to Fury, killing him with kindness on one occasion when he responded to Fury’s barbs by praising the Gypsy King’s work for mental health charities.
Despite that, it’s clear that both fighters have little time for one another, and their upcoming fight will be a chance to settle old scores for both.
Anthony Joshua reveals that Tyson Fury calls him up to tell him he’ll knock him out!
Two Genuine UK Greats
Boxing rarely throws up clashes between two genuine greats at the top of their games. We often must wait too long, until one fighter is past their best or both are, but a clash between Fury and Joshua would see two genuine greats going toe-to-toe.
That’s rare and even more rare in the world of heavyweight boxing. Wilder vs Fury was the closest the sport has come to a Clash of the Titans style fight in some time, but this will definitely eclipse that.
Since 2018 Tyson Fury has been on his comeback trail after his well-documented battle with his own mental health and substance abuse. To say he has come back with a bang would be somewhat of an understatement. He has been in scintillating form since appearing on the Carl Frampton undercard at Windsor Park in 2018.
Likewise, Joshua has continued to look the real deal in all of his fights, making knockouts look easy. As promoter Eddie Hearn said earlier this year, a fight between the two will be the biggest moment in British sporting history since England won the World Cup in 1966.
Styles Make Fights
If you were to rank your top three heavyweights in the world right now, you would probably put Fury in at top spot and Joshua in at second. However, both have a widely different style of fighting that will make the match up a riveting affair.
According to himself, Anthony Joshua does not like boxing, which is reflected in his style. He isn’t a slugger who will go blow to blow with his opponents, rather he likes to conserve his efficiency and rely on his great footwork to avoid his opponents.
When it comes to taking the fight to his opponent, Joshua is clean, simple and direct which has allowed him to win most of his fights by knockout.
Fury is harder to categorise as a fighter having shown himself to be equally adept at fighting on the inside and outside, walking his man down and bullying his opponents. It will be Fury’s adaptability and ability to come up with new and exciting game plans that will make this fight fascinating for spectators.
This clash could be used as training manual for generations to come, regardless of the outcome.
Who Wins?
The boxing world has so far been split on who will win this fight, but in our minds, Tyson Fury just about edges it. Whilst Anthony Joshua does have the talent to simply blow Fury away with a flurry of clean and vicious punches, he perhaps doesn’t have the mindset of Fury.
The Wythenshawe born fighter may not have the technical ability of Mohammed Ali, but he certainly shares his mindset. He simply won’t be beaten and will do anything within his power to gain the edge over an opponent.
