Via Allan Fox: Fans are piling 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 was a risky fight for former two-division world champion Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) to make, as he has lost three of his last five fights and he supposedly going up against the biggest contender in the world in Fury.
The biggest question is whether Joshua’s consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk have dented his confidence. If not, this is a fight well worth participating.
Joshua probably doesn’t need any more time with new coach Robert Garcia because he’s as good as he’ll be on his track. For Joshua to beat Fury, he has enough boxing skills to get the job done by what he showed in his recent bout against Usyk.
If Joshua is outside and uses his powerful stab, he has a very good chance of defeating Fury because the ‘King of Gypsy’ doesn’t possess the same powerful thrust as before, and his hand speed is not good. .
Fury’s game is a mauling style that involves him holding, leaning, grabbing and throwing a lot of club shots at close range. It would be wrong if Joshua tried to fight Fury on the inside because that would exhaust him.
“Anthony Joshua’s loss last month to Oleksandr Usyk seems to have ended any chance of a fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury. However, with Usyk sidelined until next year, Fury called Joshua to fight in December,” Chris Mannix told DAZN JABS.
“Joshua has accepted the fight at least on social media, and Fury promoter Frank Warren says there has been some preliminary talk about staging the fight. Sergio, is it a good idea for AJ to take on Fury before the end of the year? ‘ Mannix said.
“It’s a great idea. I like this idea of ’The Gypsy King,’ and he’s doing what he does best outside of the ring, and it’s a promoter,” said Sergio Mora. . “He is proud of himself. He does it on social media; he tells you what he wants, he tells you what he will do and he does it.
“He is a man of his word. I love the fact that he will be for Joshua in the world. Not just in the UK in the UK, but around the world. The two big boys and we didn’t get to witness them for the undisputed championship with all the belts on the ropes.
“It’s still a fight people want to see, and it’s still a more popular fight than Usyk, although that’s undisputed. It’s just the way it is. Usyk is a nightmare for any heavyweight.
“Joshua, on the other hand, he is a dream come true for anyone in the heavyweight class,” said Mora.
“Yes, I think it’s a bad idea, and I think it’s a bad idea for two reasons,” Mannix said of the idea of Joshua fighting Fury in December. “Firstly, I don’t. think Anthony Joshua is close to his best right now.
“I think he has confidence issues as a fighter, having lost to Oleksander Usyk twice in a row, and I think he needs more time with his new coaching staff, maybe Robert Garcia next. continued as his coach or someone else was brought in to praise Angel Fernandez.
“I think he needs more time with the guys in his corner, that’s why I think he should stick to the plan I outlined earlier. A Dave Allen-style fight in December, a Dillian Whyte-style fight in the first quarter of 2023, and then see where he is.
“On top of that, even though there’s a lot of money in the Joshua-Fury fight right now, do you think there’s more money in it if Joshua recovers himself with two or three wins and Fury keeps fighting? for the undisputed championship in the first quarter or 2023?
“Joshua vs. Fury for the undisputed title in the second half of next year. It’s a huge money war, be it in the UK, the Middle East or anywhere in the world.
“Look, if Fury wants to go on and fight a fight and stay busy, look at Derek Chisora. He wants to fight. He probably won’t rate himself. It was a big war in England. Fury will win that pretty easily.
Mannix said: “I think you pause the fight against Joshua as long as you can to get the most out of that fight six to eight months from now.
Mora said: “You are a complete lunatic. “Hold it up so another Andy Ruiz can come and knock Joshua down? No. Tyson Fury could slip on a banana peel and get injured and sit out or lose to Usyk.
“No, these are the things you don’t expect. 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 is a heavyweight champion and has a WBC belt. Joshua, on the other hand, is a two-time champion, and he’s still famous; he is still a man. If you put him in front of a billboard and everyone will know who he is.
“They will want to buy that pay-per-view. The ad sale of that would be great. I am ready. Make it a reality now. No need for them to go elsewhere.
“This is the time to do it because if you don’t do it now, it will never happen. We’ll never get the fight we really want to see. I am all for it,” said Mora.
“That’s where you went wrong, saying it would never happen. Of course, that will happen,” Mannix said. “Fury has jumped in and retired like a half dozen times in the last six months.
“Now, he’s talking about fighting multiplayer in 2023. He recently said if Deontay Wilder beat Andy Ruiz, ‘I guess I’ll fight Deontay Wilder for the fourth time to defend the WBC title. there.’
“I love that your arguments against Fury-Joshua, wait a little longer and Fury can slip on a banana peel. That is absurd. Theoretically, Fury could be defeated by Oleksandr Usyk, but he would be a huge favorite in that fight.
“He will have a lot of physics tools available to him in that fight. Just think how big the fight against Joshua would be if Joshua had a few wins under the wire.
“Regain that momentum, learn from that coach, and Fury won the undisputed championship. It’s a big fight, not two years from now, but ten months from now next September,” Mannix said.
“You are living in a fairy tale world. This is boxing, the business is hurt, and anything can be changed with a single punch,” Mora said. “Joshua, we know how vulnerable he is.
“You talk about psychology; sometimes he has it, sometimes he doesn’t. He’s juggling coaches here and there. He’s practicing all over the place,” said Mora.
“That’s why you don’t put him against someone real,” Mannix said.
“That’s why you withdraw and receive it while the income is still good,” says Mora. “Joshua, even though he lost, he fought well with a brave effort.
“Now, let’s keep going from there to Tyson Fury, the biggest fight in the world, apart from Crawford-Spence, that’s never going to happen. Give me Fury-Joshua,” said Mora.
“Where is this argument when I push Ryan Garcia to face Tank Davis?” Mannix said. “Where, ‘Let’s fight now while it can be done?’ Where is this?”
“A lot different. Are you talking about a 23-year-old with problems outside of the ring? “Mora said.
“An undefeated kid,” Mannix said.
“It’s different. We’re talking about a grown man [Joshua] Mora said at the age of 30, who has reached the top many times. “It’s a completely different story.”
