By Jeff Aranow: IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says he’ll be ready to face former champion Tyson Fury next summer if he’s ready to get back on the gravy train and take him on. Joshua says he would be fine with Fury taking his time to slowly work his way back to the top by taking a number of tune-ups over the next couple of years. But, if he’s willing to fight him, then he’d like to face him as early as next summer.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is in a big hurry to make the Joshua-Fury fight. He wants the fight to take place in 2018. Hearn also wants to have Fury fight 2 of his other Matchroom Sport heavyweights Tony Bellew and Dillian Whyte.
“If he wants to get straight in the ring with me in the summer, let’s rock and roll,” said Joshua to the Press Association. “The ball is in his court but either way I’m ready to roll – I don’t mind what we do.”
Fury would be crazy to take a fight with Joshua in 2018 unless the idea is to get the biggest payday right away and then get out of the sport. Fury would be smart to use 2018 taking tune-up fights before facing Joshua in 2019 or 2020. That would be the wisest move for Fury. He’ll be 30-years-old in 2018 and only 31 in 2019. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
It’s in Joshua’s and Hearn’s best interest for Fury to fight him in 2018 because there’s less of a chance that the 6’9” Manchester heavyweight will win the fight because he’ll be dealing with a lot of ring rust not to mention to issues with having to take off the remaining 50 pounds of fat that he’s still carrying around. Fury has already lost 50 pounds. Taking off the last 50 pounds is going to be difficult for Fury, and it could leave him a weakened shell by the time he takes off all the weight.
Joshua sees Fury’s situation with his boxing career as still being kind of iffy right now due to him having been out of the ring for 2 years and still carrying around a lot of weight. Joshua thinks it’s pointless for Fury to be calling him out right now with him still out of action and not in shape to fight. Fury may or may not
“So calling somebody out is irrelevant when you don’t know if you’re going to live up to your words,” said Joshua.”I’m sure he will, but at this present time he’s saying he needs warm-up fights. So tune in to what’s important and then focus on the bigger picture – that’s your strategy.”
Fury is so used to talking trash that he doesn’t know how to stop doing it. If Fury is able to make a successful comeback next year, then it won’t look bad for him to be talking trash. But if he winds up irrelevant as a faded fighter that ruined his physique with overeating, then it’s going to be forlorn for him to be continuing to talk trash without him having the talent to back it up.