Tyson Fury still hasn’t said whether he’ll continue his career to face the former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in the ‘Battle of Britain’ in 2025. There’s expected to be $100 million each for AJ and ‘The Gypsy King’ to scoop up from Turki Al-Shiekh in their domestic scrap.
The Real UK Best
This fight will prove who the best of these two guys are, but not the UK’s #1 or even #2 heavyweight. That’s how faded Fury and Joshua are. The two best heavyweights in the UK are Daniel Dubois and Martin Bakole. Even 20-year-old, inexperienced Moses Itauma might be better than AJ and Tyson.
Again, the Fury-Joshua fight will be about the best guy between them. It’s almost like an old-timer’s or celebrity-level contest. It’s too bad they couldn’t fight seven years ago when they were younger and viewed as the top heavyweights in the division. For them to be fighting now, it’s weird. I don’t know what to call this fight other than an old-timer’s clash.
You can understand why Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) might choose to retire rather than face Joshua (28-4, 24 KOs) after getting beaten for the second time by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st in Riyadh.
The proud former WBC champ was bitter and in full denial after his second loss. Like in the first fight, he thought he’d done enough to deserve the victory. Tyson may walk away from principle and refuse to let the boxing world see him fight again.
It would be self-defeating on Fury’s part, but it’s a predictable move if he’s nursing hurt feelings. He might choose to sulk and refuse to honor fans with his presence, as they had something to do with his two losses. He’s still just a big kid despite his advanced age.
Assuming Fury does come back for the dough, it’s possible that he’d be the favorite against the 35-year-old Joshua. It’s not that Fury has better speed, power, or athletic ability than Joshua.
It’s how AJ was blown out in five rounds by his last opponent, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, on September 21st. That wasn’t even sporting. Joshua’s punch resistance looked gone, as he was dropped four times in the contest before being stopped in the fifth.
AJ’s Power
Fury looked vulnerable taking power shots from Usyk in both of their fights, and it appears his punch resistance has deteriorated from his three fights against Deontay Wilder.
If Joshua can land the same kind of right-hand shots that he knocked out Francis Ngannou with, Fury won’t make it past the second round. He won’t be able to avoid Joshua’s power the way he did Deontay or Wladimir Klitschko. Joshua isn’t gunshy, and he won’t be worn down by leaning the way Wilder was.
It’ll be fun to see how well Fury stands up to Joshua getting punched with full force in this fight. AJ is going to be hunting for bear from round one, and I don’t see him letting up until he bags a bearded one.
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