Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua now look likely to face off in 2025.
The battle of Britain has been over marinated but, after recent losses and the approach of retirement, it may finally take place, albeit with much less at stake than would have been in the past.
Both Fury and Joshua have been beaten twice by Oleksandr Usyk, and ‘AJ’ is coming off a bruising loss against the division’s other champion in Daniel Dubois. It leaves them with few other big money options outside of their own match-up.
If the fight is made, picks will likely be made based off current form, with Fury a favourite. But what of the six men who have shared the ring with both throughout their careers? Seconds Out has gathered their predictions from various times…
“Tyson Fury has one thing that many people can’t beat. It’s not skill, Anthony Joshua is definitely the more skilful fighter, but Tyson Fury is so long and in a safety zone with that reach and movement, he made Wladimir Klitschko look like an amateur. He didn’t do that because he has more skill, everybody knows that Klitschko would knock him out, but you’ve got to get past that reach. It’s like giving somebody a sniper rifle and asking somebody 20 yards away to run up on him.” via IFL TV
Dillian Whyte
“There’s a case for both guys winning this fight. Both guys showed a lot of versatility in their last two fights. The two fights with [Andy] Ruiz and the two fights with [Deontay] Wilder, it’s the same guy but they’re showing different styles and different ways of getting the victory.
“Joshua had a loss against Ruiz and Fury had a draw against Wilder. Then Fury came off the backfoot and was aggressive and knocked Wilder out then Joshua came off the front foot and got on the backfoot and got a points decision. It’s hard. I don’t think any boxing purist can say ‘this guy is going to win because of this.’ It’s very difficult to say who’s going to win.” via DAZN
“Hands down Joshua. He is getting to be the complete fighter. Technically, size-wise, weight-wise, power-wise. And he is a good learner.
The other guy [Fury], like a fart in the wind it is there and it is gone. In the history of boxing there are a lot of examples of this kind of guy. They can be successful for a time but are not disciplined enough to continue to be successful. I wish Tyson well but I think there is a lack of discipline there, and discipline is more important than motivation. Drawing from my experience I would say it is going to be very difficult for Tyson because there’s that lack of discipline.”
