Anthony Joshua on Edge
The more time passes, the more you feel that Anthony Joshua is a man on the edge. At the very least, it appears that Joshua struggles to internalize the tailspin his career has ended up taking with his actions nowadays portraying him as a professional who is increasingly agitated.
Of course, it depends on which side of the fence you sit with regards to him reading the riot act to fans who have heckled him over the last few months and whether you think that the boxer is justified in calling people out. What can't be disputed, however, is that Joshua's outbursts show that he very much cares about what is being said about him. Needless to say, that is an exceptionally dangerous mindset for a boxer to have.
This is ultimately why a potential bout with Tyson Fury could be catastrophic for Joshua. Yes, many may point to the fact that Fury has retired, but a look at the latest betting odds will confirm what everyone in the boxing industry feels will inevitably happen in the future. Prices are currently being offered on this blockbuster fight with Fury unsurprisingly the favorite at odds of -333.
In short, most pundits and fans expect that Fury will return to the ring and his current training regime, despite being retired, indicates that he’s following the schedule of a boxer that still intends on competing at the business end of the world’s heavyweight division.
The man in the shadow is always following me!????
SOUTH OF FRANCE ????????
2022.1 of the most beautiful places on earth ???? BLESSED ???? pic.twitter.com/rN27bXEBAr
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) May 20, 2022
With this being the case, we can speculate with a degree of confidence that Fury and Joshua will go toe-to-toe sooner rather than later. This eventuality, as touched on, could spell the end of Joshua’s time as a professional boxer.
To date, the Englishman has suffered two career losses. Crucially, if that were to climb to three after losing to Fury, then there’s simply no scenario that involves Joshua ever fighting for a championship belt again. Moreover, and as things stand, it’s virtually impossible to envision the Watford-born fighter beating Fury whilst being so reactive to everything that is said about him.
Indeed, with such a brittle temperament that is astonishingly even being shaken by fans who heckle him on the street, you can only wonder how Joshua would respond to the mind games that Fury typically uses in the build-up to a fight. In many respects, this could be a match-up that’s over before it ever began with Joshua mentally beaten before the two square up in the ring.
What’s your definition of hustle? pic.twitter.com/qUwOaKCS97
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) April 7, 2022
In addition to that, if you take into account the very evident gulf in class that exists between the two boxers, it seems a foregone conclusion that this could be the most damaging night of the 32-year-old’s professional life.
Essentially, many would argue that Joshua doesn't possess the skills needed to beat Fury regardless of what his frame of mind is, but after two years of damaging results that have ended up stripping him of all mental fortitude, it seems a certainty that Fury would administer a defeat that brings the curtain down on Joshua’s career.
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