The biggest British heavyweight bout in a generation. The challenger, Olympic gold medalist and former two time unified WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua. And the champion, the reigning and defending WBC title holder and undefeated lineal heavyweight champion of the world Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury.
Boxing fans around the world are crossing their fingers hoping that the superfight finally gets made, and if they do Fury vs Joshua tickets will be in unbelievably high demand. But if it does finally happen, who wins?
Let’s look at the tale of the tape.
Form
The past few years haven’t been kind to Anthony Joshua. A shock defeat at the hands of the less-than-athletic Mexican puncher Andy Ruiz, and back-to-back schoolings from Ukrainian maestro Oleksandr Usyk were punctuated by a solid knockout of the aging Kubrat Pulev and a nervy points victory in the Ruiz rematch.
In comparison, Fury is at the top of his game. Despite two years away from the sport with well-publicised mental health issues, Fury has returned to complete a thrilling trilogy with American power-puncher Deontay Wilder, before hammering Dillian Whyte into the canvas at Wembley.
There’s no doubt here that Fury comes into the fight as the in-form boxer.
Winner: Tyson Fury
Past Opponents
The biggest criticism of Tyson Fury was that other than Klitschko, he’d never really fought anyone good. Christian Hammer and Steve Cunningham are hardly names to set the blood pumping, and Derek Chisora is the sort of fighters that good fighters beat, rather than a genuine challenger. But he did dethrone Wladimir Klitschko, and any questions about his quality of opponents were put to bed by a trilogy of amazing fights with the American champion Wilder.
As with Fury, Joshua’s largest scalp remains Wladimir Klitschko - a man he knocked out in a superb, dramatic contest. Beyond the Ukrainian legend, AJ’s top tier opponents include Usyk, who comfortably beat the Watford man twice, and Joseph Parker who Joshua comfortably outworked.
AJ may have fought better opponents over the years, but unlike Fury, he’s failed to overcome them.
Winner: Tyson Fury
Physicality and Style
Fury is billed at 6’9” with an 85” reach, and weighed in for his last fight at 265 lbs.
Joshua is shorter at 6’6”, has reach of 82” and weighed in against Usyk at 244lbs.
Fury’s a bigger, heavier boxer with a longer reach. But it’s styles that make fights, and it’s Fury’s style that could make the difference.
Joshua is a very orthodox boxer. Punching from behind a long, straight jab, he aims to get inside and unleash a hellacious uppercut. With the exception of his rematch vs Andy Ruiz where he was content to step off and win on points, Joshua looks to set up power punches and win by knockout.
Fury, however, seems to do what he feels like when he gets up in the morning. Orthodox? Southpaw? Switch hitting? He can do all three. He can be elusive for a big man, or use his bulk to wear down fighters. And as Deontay Wilder’s repeated trips to the canvas demonstrates, he can hit hard too.
Winner: Tyson Fury
The Verdict: Who Knows?
That’s three wins out of three for the Gypsy King, but that doesn’t mean a guaranteed victory in the ring. Because this is heavyweight boxing. When two huge, heavy men start throwing fists, one punch can change everything.
Joshua will - perhaps for the first time ever - be a genuine underdog in this fight. But that could make him more driven, committed and dangerous. We also don’t know which Fury we’ll see. The elusive back-foot fighter from the first Wilder fight, the absolute monster who stormed forward for the second Wilder fight, or the entertainer happy to trade haymakers and knockdowns from the third Wilder fight.
The only sensible prediction to make is that Fury vs Joshua tickets will be in very high demand. So make sure you get yours as soon as the fight is confirmed.
