Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua was set to be the biggest boxing match out there, and against all odds the dream just might still be on.
Fury rekindled the all-British showdown Monday when he took to social media to offer to defend his WBC and lineal heavyweight titles next vs Joshua. Oleksandr Usyk of course wants to wait until 2023 before facing Fury in a unification match.
Things look even brighter now following the breaking news Tuesday that Joshua has “agreed to all terms offered” for a showdown with Fury on Saturday December 3 in the UK.
There is much still to agree on of course, it’s boxing, but it does appear this fight is now closer than ever. Remember though we said the same thing once before.
Back in 2020 the two Brits had inked a two-fight deal which should have seen them meet twice before the end of 2021. The excitement hit fever pitch in May 2021 when Fury announced the pair would fight in Saudi Arabia in August.
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Within 24 hours of that though we had craziness in buckets as Deontay Wilder won an arbitration ruling over the collapse of his planned trilogy fight with Fury in 2021. The ruling said Fury vs Wilder 3 must go ahead and Fury eventually prevailed by a thrilling 11th-round knockout on October 9.
So Fury was free for a unification fight vs Joshua, the only problem was AJ had lost his world titles in late September to Ukrainian chess master Oleksandr Usyk. That seemed to kill – for a long time at least – any chance of Fury vs Joshua. AJ again fluffed his lines in a rematch vs Usyk in August 2022, losing a split decision.
Now though the dream of a battle of Britain for the world heavyweight title might just be back on.
Fury vs Joshua odds
The odds for Fury vs Joshua are still pretty close, and the story has changed quite a bit in the last two years.
A couple of years ago Joshua was a heavy favorite – he was still unbeaten while Fury was coming off a near three-year hiatus caused by mental health issues and weight gain which saw him balloon to 400lbs.
Then everything changed. Joshua suffered his first career defeat – a shocker to the 30/1 underdog Andy Ruiz in Madison Square Garden in June 2019. Six months later meanwhile Fury would destroy the hitherto unbeaten Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title.
Now – as a result of that and Joshua’s loss to Usyk – Fury is a clear favorite to win this huge heavyweight showdown. He is a best-value -360 (bet $360 to win $100), while Joshua is biggest at +290 (bet $100 to win $290). Both of those available with FanDuel, and the fight has to happen by December 31, 2022.
The draw by the way? Is a +2000 shot and can never be ruled out in major heavyweight fights – remember Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield at the Garden in March 1999? The last undisputed heavyweight rivalry.
Fury vs Joshua picks
Debate rages about who is the best fighter – Fury or Joshua – and which one has the best record.
AJ probably has the deeper resume, containing victories over Dillian Whyte, Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, Carlos Takam, Wladimir Klitschko, Andy Ruiz Jr and Kubrat Pulev (among others).
Fury has not faced as many elite heavyweights, but he does have two victories on his resume that might just trump all of Joshua’s.
In November 2015 Fury traveled to Germany – into Wladimir Klitschko’s back yard – and schooled the long-time heavyweight champion en route to dethroning. A heavy underdog, he had pulled off a stunning upset.
Five years later Fury would perform a similar act – simply destroying the feared Deontay Wilder in seven one-sided rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was a stunning demolition job which saw Fury more aggressive than ever. It was Wilder’s first defeat in 44 fights as a professional, and removed for ever his aura of invincibility.
Fury vs Joshua presents a fascinating clash of styles. Fury at 6ft 9ins is a freak of nature – too fast, too slick and too skilful for a man of his size. Joshua meanwhile is more mechanical but has under-rated boxing skills and might just be the fight game’s best finisher when he has his opponent hurt.
It should be a fascinating matchup and our preference is for Fury, but only by a whisker.
We like ‘The Gypsy King’ to outbox Joshua en route to a wide-margin points victory. We would be surprised to see him employ similar tactics to those he used with such impact in the Wilder rematch.
It’s more likely that he boxes from the outside as he did in the first meeting with Deontay in Los Angeles back in December 2018. We believe he’d prevail by decision or technical decision.
Fury vs Joshua date and start time
Joshua has agreed to terms for a fight on Saturday December 3, 2022 – now the ball is in Fury’s court.
How can I watch Fury vs Joshua on TV?
U.S. TV details for Fury vs Joshua would be pretty clear. Fury is in the middle of a five-fight deal with ESPN. Joshua meanwhile now has a global deal with streaming platform DAZN.
Per Fury’s promoter Bob Arum, the bout would likely to air on pay-per-view in the U.S. on ESPN+. It is not known whether DAZN would figure in the arrangement.