Tyson Fury is calling Josh Anthoua out again. He recently tweeted that Anthony Joshua “sh*t himself on live television when asked if he wanted to fight [Tyson Fury].” That said, it’s looking more and more likely that this fight will eventually happen as Vegas and the best online sports betting sites have released odds on the event.
The whole mandatory challengers thing can be frustrating for boxing fans. How have we seen matchups that everyone wanted never happen? Or the two fighters finally meet when one or both are out of their prime. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather is an excellent example of this.
Apparently, the financial details have been worked out. This is usually the hardest part for promoters to get past in order to get a big-money fight officially on the books. In the case of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, Top Rank Boxing and DAZN will need to co-promote to get this fight in front of fans.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the fight will happen in the next couple of months. I would put my money on it happening at some point in the second half of 2021.
The Fight Prediction
If this thing indeed goes down, books are already favoring Tyson Fury. If you are wondering why, it’s because The Gypsy King absolutely dominated Deontay Wilder in their rematch. He didn’t give ground, and instead of only relying on his slick head and foot-work, he actually manhandled Wilder, pushing him around the ring.
Conversely, Joshua tried to brawl with a relative boxing-world nobody and lost. Of course, he came back and beat Ruiz in their rematch on points – a fact that shows Joshua doesn’t have the toughness that we once thought. He had to completely switch up to a points game and avoid stepping into a telephone booth with Andy Ruiz.
When it comes to Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua, We won’t see as much physical domination. AJ, though an inch shorter than Deontay Wilder at 6’6”, is easily 20 pounds heavier. Joshua’s chest measures 47 inches, so the difference in their frames is noticeable. That said, even though AJ is a better physical matchup for Fury than Wilder, Tyson Fury outclasses Anthony Joshua in technical boxing skills by a long way.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tyson Fury implement a similar game-plan against Anthony Joshua as we saw in Wilder vs. Fury I. When Tyson Fury was unsure of Wilder’s massive punching power and awkwardly thrown overhand right, he used his incredible footwork to get in and out and pick at him with heavy jabs and counter punching. I believe he’ll do the same with Joshua, peppering him with heavy jabs to control the distance and pick AJ apart and controlling exchanges without taking on much damage.
Even if they get into a brawl, I think the fight still favors The Gypsy King – though not as much. He walked Wilder down in their last meeting, and lately, what we’ve seen from AJ that he has had to sacrifice shots to land shots, taking quite a few solid hits to the front of his face in exchanges. That type of fighting is a risky game to play against a 250-pound opponent such as Fury. I want to be on the receiving end of a flush right hand with 250 pounds of weight behind it, said no one ever.
If AJ fights smart, this could drag out to a decision where I believe Fury will win on points. But if a brawl ensues, I see Joshua getting knocked out in incredible fashion.