Will Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury Put Boxing Back on Top?

It appeared that Anthony Joshua was going to have to wait for Tyson Fury to dispatch Deontay Wilder for a second time before he got his shot at a unification bout. However, Wilder’s camp failed to ink a contract within their deal parameters, and “The Gypsy King” camp moved onto bigger and better things.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will face off in 2021. More importantly, the battle will unify the belts and crown one true champion. Will Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury put boxing back on top?

Setting the Stage

On February 22, 2020, Deontay Wilder squared off against Tyson Fury for their highly anticipated rematch in Las Vegas.

The pair’s first fight ended as a draw. However, it was a clear Fury victory for most of those that watched the fight.

For the rematch, the pre-fight antics were worth the price of admission. Tyson Fury entered the ring on a large throne carried by scantily clad women while he lip-synced to Patsy Cline’s hit “Crazy.”

Actually, knowing what I do about Tyson, he was belting the word out himself. Fortunately, we couldn’t hear his voice, though.

Then there was Wilder. Wilder came out looking like a goth version of Groot for “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

It was a pretty cool costume, in my opinion, but it wasn’t exactly intimidating.

Pretty early in the fight, it became obvious who was in control. Fury established his powerful jab immediately and was in the driver’s seat.

A huge right from Fury dropped Wilder in the 3rd round, and it was clear where this was headed. Blood began to flow from Wilder’s left ear, and he went down twice more, but they were ruled slips.

Wilder was put down again in the 5th, and the fight should’ve been stopped. By this point, the best chance he had was surviving.

The punishment continued until the 7th round when Wilder’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel. By this point, it had become somewhat hard to watch as Wilder was nothing more than beat.

Fury obtained the WBC belt, and Wilder was poised to get another hefty payday and a shot at redemption.

Wilder’s camp never got a fight deal done, and the period expired. Wilder’s team attributes this to a misunderstanding. Still, if you watched the second fight, it’s pretty clear they wanted none of Fury’s fury.

This opened the door for Anthony Joshua to face Fury for a unification of the titles. A fight that will crown one true champion in heavyweight boxing.

Let’s get to know a little bit about the 2 heavyweights.

“The Gypsy King”

Tyson Fury sounds like a name destined for boxing greatness. That’s not a mistake.

The British born pugilist comes from a long line of bare-knuckle boxers. He also was born into a large population of Irish Gypsys.

You know the scene from Snatch where “Gorgeous George” is nearly beaten to death in a bare-knuckle boxing match by Brad Pitt’s character “Mickey?”

I like to think of Tyson’s childhood as something similar, and I don’t think I’m too far off. In fact, the more I learn about Tyson, the more I believe it’s somewhat of a biopic on the champ.

Fury was born several months premature and weighed only 1 pound at his birth. The doctors gave him little chance of survival.

His father Named him Tyson after Mike Tyson because he was a fighter, and he knew he’d survive. I’d say the 6’9″ fighter did more than survived; he’s thrived.

Fury is 30-0-1 with 21 KOs in his professional career.

Now, he’s poised to become the lineal heavyweight champion. I don’t see how anyone doesn’t love this guy.

“AJ”

Anthony Joshua is a wonderful fighter and incredibly likable himself.

The 6’6″ Brit is 24-1-0, with 22 of those wins coming by KO.

In June of 2019, Joshua suffered his only professional defeat in a shocker against Andy Ruiz Jr. The loss cost AJ the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO titles.

Ruiz came into the fight as a 25-1 underdog, and almost everybody expected AJ to dispatch Ruiz Jr. with ease. It became clear in the 3rd round that this fight would not be as easy as AJ had hoped.

Joshua knocked Ruiz to the canvas with a series of heavy blows, but Ruiz seemed unfazed and returned the favor moments later.

The back and forth continued, but Ruiz would stay on his feet. In the 7th round, Joshua went down for the 4th time, spat his mouthguard to the canvas, and went to rest on the ropes.

The referee asked AJ a series of questions, and the disoriented fighter could not provide adequate responses. The TKO win was awarded to Ruiz Jr.

By December of 2019, the pair were back in the ring for a rematch, and AJ was ready. He didn’t get the KO he was undoubtedly hoping for but did control the fight and won by unanimous decision.

Making AJ, once again, the titleholder.

Unification Bout

Now that Fury’s path no longer consists of another battle with Wilder, the high-powered pair is ready to face off to crown 1 true World Heavy-Weight Champion.

There have been at least a half-dozen dates thrown around for the match, but nothing seems to be concrete as of this moment.

However, all signs are pointing at mid-2021. This will give Fury a chance to fit in a warm-up fight.

Whenever it happens, it will be one of the most highly anticipated heavyweight matchups in recent memory.

Unifying the belts for a single champion may be just the shot in the arm boxing needs to get back to its former glory.

The question is: Who will win?

Let’s look at what the boxing royalty has to say about the fight.

Who the Boxing Legends Are Picking

One of the legends of boxing, Mike “Iron Mike” Tyson, has been very verbal in his backing of the fighter that carries his name. The Baddest Man on the Planet has called Fury the best heavyweight champion since himself.

That’s a pretty solid endorsement from the man that owned the boxing world for over a decade.

Another heavyweight champ, George Foreman, gives the nod to Fury. Noting that he can’t see a way in which AJ takes The Gypsy King down.

Roy Jones Jr. also is in the Tyson Fury corner when it comes to the unification bout. Jones went so far as to liken the mindset Fury carries himself with to that of the great Muhammad Ali.

That’s incredibly high praise from the boxing great.

Floyd Mayweather had the most Floyd Mayweather prediction of all-time, chiming in that if he’s not getting paid, it’s none of his business.

The fight should be a great battle between the 2 behemoths.

Who the Real Winner Is

The biggest winner of the match up maybe those who attend the fight live or shell out whatever ESPN is asking to view the fight from home.

I will 100% be among the latter. I did it for Fury Vs. Wilder 1 and 2. I was excited to throw more money at ESPN for a 3rd fight between the two men, but I’m just as happy to give them my cash for a Fury vs. AJ unification fight.

In fact, I’d pay to watch the pair do their walk-ins and then stare at a blank screen until the fight was over and the victor was awarded all 5 of the belts.

Tyson Fury is that much of an entertainer. He’s raw, he’s funny, he’s a great fighter. That’s not to diminish AJ in any way.

AJ has proven himself to be a deserving champion. Still, everyone has their favorite. Well, everyone but Floyd Mayweather.

Will the Bout Put Boxing Back on Top?

It’s hard to say if this fight will be the much-needed hype and excitement that boxing needs to get back on top.

MMA has exploded in popularity. The sheer brutality of UFC seems to be preferred by many sports fans over the sweet science of boxing.

Still, there’s no question that boxing has begun to gain traction. It may never get back to the level of popularity enjoyed by fighters through the mid-1990s.

However, with Tyson Fury as the undisputed heavyweight champion, it may very well start showing up on the radars of those that have never paid the sport much attention.

Conclusion

Will Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury put boxing back on top?

Probably not. Dana White has built UFC into a media juggernaut, and the stable of fighters and personalities is tremendous.

However, I expect this fight to start moving the needle in terms of interest among new and casual boxing fans.