By Allan Fox: Fans are all over the place on whether Anthony Joshua should rush back to the ring to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in November or December.
To be sure, it’s a risky fight for the former two-division world champion Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) to undertake, given that he’s lost three out of his last five fights, and he’d be arguably facing the best heavyweight in the world in Fury.
The biggest question is whether Joshua’s back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk have degraded his self-confidence. If not, this is a fight that is worth taking.
Joshua probably doesn’t need additional time with his new trainer Robert Garcia because he’s about as good as he’s going to get under his watch. For Joshua to beat Fury, he possesses enough boxing skills to get the job done by what he showed in his recent fight against Usyk.
If Joshua stays on the outside and uses his powerful jab, he’s got a heck of a chance of beating Fury because the ‘Gypsy King’ doesn’t possess the same strong jab, and his hand speed isn’t as good.
Fury’s game is a mauling style that involves him holding, leaning, grabbing & throwing a lot of clubbing shots at close range. It would be a mistake for Joshua to attempt to fight Fury on the inside because it would wear him out.
“Anthony Joshua’s loss last month to Oleksandr Usyk appeared to end any chance of a fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury. However, with Usyk sidelined until next year, Fury has called out Joshua for a fight in December,” said Chris Mannix to DAZN JABS.
“Joshua has accepted the fight at least on social media, and Fury’s promoter Frank Warren says there have been some preliminary talks about staging the fight. Sergio, is it a good idea or a bad idea for AJ to fight Fury before the end of the year?” said Mannix.
“It’s a great idea. I love this idea by ‘The Gypsy King,’ and he’s doing what he does best outside the ring, and that’s being a promoter,” said Sergio Mora. “He promotes himself. He does it on social media; he tells you what he wants, he tells you what he’s going to do, and he does it.
“He’s a man of his word. I love the fact that he’s going for Joshua in the world. Not only in the UK in England, but in the world. Two big men and we didn’t get to see them for the undisputed championship with all the belts on the line.
“It’s still a fight that people want to watch, and it’s still a fight that’s more popular than Usyk, even though that would be for the undisputed. It’s just the way it is. Usyk is a nightmare for any heavyweight.
“Joshua, on the other hand, he’s a dream come true for anyone in the heavyweight division,” said Mora.
“Yeah, I think it’s a bad idea, and I think it’s a bad idea for two reasons,” said Mannix about the idea of Joshua fighting Fury in December. “One, I don’t think Anthony Joshua right now is anywhere close to his best.
“I think he has a confidence issue as a fighter, having lost two in s row to Oleksander Usyk, and I think he needs more time with his new training staff, be it Robert Garcia continuing on as his trainer or somebody else being brought in to compliment Angel Fernandez.
“I think he needs more time with the people in his corner, which is why I think he should follow the plan I’ve laid out before. Something of a Dave Allen-type fight in December, something like a Dillian Whyte-type fight in the first quarter of 2023, and then see where he is.
“On top of that, while there’s a lot of money in a Joshua-Fury fight right now, don’t you think there’s a lot more money in it if Joshua rehabilitates himself with two or three wins and Fury goes on to fight for the undisputed championship in the first quarter or 2023?
“Joshua vs. Fury for the undisputed title in the second half of next year. That’s a huge money fight, be it in the UK, Middle East or anywhere in the world.
“Look, if Fury wants to continue on and fight some kind of stay busy fight, look at Derek Chisora. He wants the fight. He’s probably not going to price himself out. That’s a big fight in the UK. Fury would win that one quite easily.
“I think you put off a Joshua fight as long as you can to make the most money for it in six to eight months from now,” said Mannix.
“You are absolutely nuts,” said Mora. “Hold that for another Andy Ruiz that could come and knockout Joshua? No. Tyson Fury could slip on a banana peel and get injured and be sidelined or lose against Usyk.
“No, these are things that you don’t wait for. You don’t let them marinate. You don’t go out and hope for the best. You make it happen while it’s still hot.
“Tyson is the biggest, most popular champion in the world. He’s the heavyweight champion and has the WBC strap. Joshua, on the other hand, is a two-time champion, and he’s still popular; he’s still the man. If you put him in front of a billboard and people are going to know who he is.
“They’re going to want to buy that pay-per-view. The selling of the promotion of that will be amazing. I’m all in. Make it happen now. No need for them to go elsewhere.
“This is the time to make it because if you don’t make it now, it’s never going to happen. We’ll never get the fight that we actually want to see. I’m all for it,” said Mora.
“That’s where you’re wrong, saying it’s never going to happen. Of course, it’s going to happen,” said Mannix. “Fury has jumped in and out of retirement like a half a dozen times over the last six months.
“Now, he’s talking about fighting multiple people in 2023. He said recently if Deontay Wilder beats Andy Ruiz, ‘I guess I’ll be fighting Deontay Wilder for a fourth time to defend that WBC title.’
“I like that your arguments against Fury-Joshua waiting a little while longer is Fury might slip on a banana peel. That’s absurd. Fury theoretically could get beat by Oleksandr Usyk, but he’s going to be a huge favorite in that fight.
“He’s going to have so many physical tools available to him in that fight. Just think how massive that fight against Joshua would be if Joshua got a couple of wins under his belt.
“Get some of that momentum back, get some experience with that trainer, and Fury wins the undisputed championship. That is a massive fight, not two years from now, but ten months from now in September of next year,” said Mannix.
“You’re living in a fairytale world. This is boxing, the hurt business, and anything can change with one punch,” said Mora. “Joshua, we know how vulnerable he is.
“You said psychologically; sometimes he has it, sometimes he doesn’t. He’s juggling trainers here and there. He’s training all over the place,” said Mora.
“That’s why you don’t put him in against someone real,” said Mannix.
“That’s why you cash in and get it while the getting is good,” said Mora. “Joshua, even though he lost, he put up a good fight in a valiant effort.
“Now, roll on from that to Tyson Fury, the biggest fight in the world, aside from Crawford-Spence, that’s never going to happen. Give me Fury-Joshua,” said Mora.
“Where was this argument when I was pushing for Ryan Garcia to face Tank Davis?” said Mannix. “Where was, ‘Make the fight now while it can be made?’ Where was this?”
“That’s a lot different. You’re talking about a 23-year-old kid with issues outside of the ring?” said Mora.
“An undefeated young kid,” said Mannix.
“It’s different. We’re talking about a grown man [Joshua] in his 30s who has already been to the top multiple times,” said Mora. “It’s a totally different story.”
