it’s not too late for a fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

By: Sean Crose

Both lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk. Furthermore, there is little demand for either of them to face the dominant Usyk again. There was a time, though, very recently in fact, when former heavyweight titlists Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury were considered the two best fighters in their division. All that remained for the two imposing Englishmen was to face each other in the ring to show the world who was the true king of the greats. Then came Usyk. The Ukrainian decided Joshua, then decided it again. He then defeated Fury for the undisputed heavyweight crown, only to defeat him again last December.

What does all this mean? That these two talented and experienced fighters, Joshua and Fury, will not meet for heavyweight supremacy, as was expected. That doesn’t mean, however, that Joshua and Fury can’t throw themselves into the ring. Even if both men show signs of decline in the ring – things like that happen when you have the robust resumes that these two have – a Joshua-Fury bout would be a boxing match not to be missed. This would be especially true if the fight landed in England. And why shouldn’t it? After all, they are two Englishmen, and two very popular Englishmen.

Tall and statuesque, Joshua LOOKS like you would expect a heavyweight fighter to look like. He is also an excellent fighter: a dynamo skilled in hard punches who also has the ability to adapt to a given situation. Fury can also use different ring styles in the heat of the fight. He also proved in his brutal and fantastic trilogy with Deontay Wilder that he can rock an opponent with the best of them. There’s really nothing to dislike about the fight between Joshua and Fury, except of course for the fact that the world title belt probably won’t be on the line.

Believe it or not, however, the window is actually closing. While this fight can likely happen whenever Joshua or Fury wants it, no one wants to see these former titles when they have become shells of their former selves. Neither appears to be struggling at the moment but, again, both are probably already past their prime. Furthermore, the fight will not be as profitable as it could have been if delayed for a considerable period. Make no mistake, the clock is ticking on this one. Then again, maybe it’s best to leave well enough alone. Boxing is a dangerous sport and these two men aren’t getting any younger.