Will Fury be ready to face AJ?
A deal is close to being agreed between world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to finally go head-to-head later this year, but a recent picture of 'The Gypsy King' posted in Instagram of the giant heavyweight diving into the ice cold waters of Morecombe Bay showing off a far from slimline physique has fans questioning if he'll be in the best shape to face the sculptured AJ.
The undisputed heavyweight title fight is what boxing fans all over the world, particularly in Great Britain, have been wanting for a number of years now.
32-year-old Fury is undefeated in his career, last beating Deontay Wilder one year ago next week. He was won 31 fights, with one draw.
Anthony Joshua is a year younger and has won 24 of his 25 career fights with the exception being his shock defeat against Andy Ruiz Jr. in New York back in June 2019. He won the rematch and last fought back in December, beating Kubrat Pulev by knockout in round nine.
Four Titles on the Line
Provided everything goes to plan and this match gets signed and goes ahead in the coming months, then it would the first time in heavyweight history that all four WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts are on the line in the same match.
Joshua is the holder of three of those crowns, whilst Tyson Fury is the current WBC heavyweight champion.
Who is the Favourite?
Bookmakers already have odds on the fight and are making Fury the early 8/15 favourite. This despite his inactivity. Those who fancy Anthony Joshua to be the king of England may want to sign up online with a bonus to Betfred.
There has been talk that this bout could take place as early as May, giving Tyson Fury about three months to shake off all the cobwebs. That would also mean a 17-month gap between his fights.
The WBC heavyweight champion does know all about fighting after a long time off. He famously spent three years away from the ring before his career-defining victory over Wladimir Klitschko over in Dusseldorf, Germany back in 2015.
Meanwhile, Joshua will only be five months removed from his last fight, which was a nine-round test. The two-time unified world heavyweight champion will be in much better ring shape regardless of how much training Fury has been doing.
Heading into his fight versus Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, much was made about Anthony Joshua not going past round 7 in his career to that point. The Brit won the match in round 11 that night and in his six fights since hasn’t finished a fight earlier than round 7.
So if this match goes beyond six or seven rounds the odds would certainly have to start favouring Joshua, who hasn’t only proven he can go the distance, but will head into the bout with less ring rust than his opponent.
What Has Been Said?
Fighting talk has yet to begin between the two, but both competitors have mentioned one another in previous interviews.
Speaking after his victory over Pulev in December, Joshua had his eyes on the belt rather than the boxer: “I’ve been chasing the belts since I started this. It’s not about the man, it’s about the belt and the legacy. If it’s Tyson Fury with the WBC belt, then let it be Tyson Fury.”
Tyson Fury is promising a quick fight: “Grow a pair and sign the contract, big boy.
“I’m not just saying it because he’s gonna be a rival of mine and he’s gonna be one of my opponents, but I’ve always said for a long time that I do believe Anthony Joshua’s tailor-made for somebody with my style.
“I think it’s gonna be one of the most explosive, quickest fights you’re gonna see. I’m aiming to take him out inside four rounds.”