By: Sean Crose
Here we go again. ESPN is reporting that WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua are in talks to finally square off in England this coming September. No doubt fans would be eager to see the two men throw down in the ring, but will also be taking this news with a grain of salt. They’ve been down this road, before, after all. Late last year, much hyped talks between the two fighter’s camps fell through. Fury went on to stop Derek Chisora in December while Joshua went on to decision Jermaine Taylor in April.
Fury has since engaged in wild negotiations with WBO, WBA and IBF titlist Oleksandr Usyk, negotiations which went nowhere. The failure to make that particular fight was quite grating as the winner would have become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in decades. Yet Fury has also gone on from there to feud with UFC star Jon Jones. Meanwhile, his team has been in discussions to possibly pit the towering Englishman against Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean. As always seems to be the case with Fury, the future is unclear.
As for Joshua, the popular Londoner is trying to get his career back in line after losing twice to Usyk, the man who removed him from his titles. Still, there’s no doubt that Joshua is a man unafraid to face big challenger. Plus a win over Fury would certainly turn his career around. Yet a loss to Fury – and Fury would most certainly be the betting favorite walking in – would likely knock Joshua off his position as a top heavyweight contender. The match would indeed be a risky endeavor for Joshua, but as the British SAS says, “Who dares, wins.” Of course, Tyson Fury may have something to say about that.