Joshua vs Fury, while the world waits for the Mega-Fight could the tide be turning?
It is no secret that the most anticipated fight in boxing, for both casual and trade fans, is the battle of the Brits: Joshua vs Fury. Over the past few years fans have been begging to see the fight for all of the marbles in the heavyweight division. For 38 months, these belts were simultaneously held by Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, and it seemed that a fight was destined to occur, despite the seeming prevarication and procrastination. Promoters seemed happy to wait, as many thought the fight could benefit from a further build up period in order to attract the attention of more casual fans.
However, waiting is a dangerous game, as proved by Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat to Andy Ruiz JR, as well as Deontay Wilder having his belt snatched by the stubborn and eccentric Tyson Fury. The common consensus appeared to be that after all of this drama, it was time to take no more risks and make the mega-fight. But of course, things are never that simple. With Covid-19 preventing any live sport from taking place, the fight craved by so many seems to be delayed even further. Nevertheless, throughout this entire waiting period a subject that has rarely been discussed is: which fighter will benefit from this waiting period?
On the 22nd of February the world was awestruck by Fury’s brutal and dominant display, leading to a 7th round TKO over American rival Wilder. As a result, many fans now believe Fury would make easy work of Joshua. However, as the fight has been delayed once more, could the tide have turned in Joshua’s favour? Joshua and Fury are 30 and 31 respectively, and many would think this means the longer wait for the fight would have an equal effect on both fighters. However, this isn’t the case, for a number of reasons.
The story of Anthony Joshua has been well publicised, and one of the key features of AJ’s journey is that he began boxing at the age of 18. In comparison, Tyson Fury began boxing as a child, aged 10. As a result, Fury has been able to perfect his ring craft, as witnessed by his silky slick style in the ring. Whereas Anthony Joshua has had to learn on the job, and it therefore can be said that his style and ring IQ are inferior to his rival. However, as we can see from Joshua’s adjustments in his flawless display during his rematch with Ruiz JR, he has the ability to learn and develop his boxing quickly. So, as the waiting period before the super-fight continues, Joshua will be able to perfect his ring craft, and his chances against Fury can only be advanced.
The success and downfall of boxing both stem from its brutality, and of course will be a factor that will affect this fight, when it eventually happens. As Fury started boxing at the age of 10, it is clear that he has more miles on the clock. Having fought more rounds could benefit for Fury, due to having more experience. However, there is a point in every fighter’s career where after so many hard-fought rounds, they begin to decline. Additionally, it is common knowledge that he doesn’t exactly treat his body like a temple. Simply put, the longer the wait for the fight, the more likely Fury will succumb to the inevitable decline.
Of course, these factors may not be of decisive significance in the impending fight between the two giants. It may be clear after the first round that one is far superior to the other. However, it would be wrong to not mention the effect a longer waiting period could have, because in high level sport it may be the 1% which turns a win into a loss. Or in this case it may change the history of the blue-ribbon division.