Ricky Hatton has concerned that we may never get a chance to see the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury mega-fight with the way things have been going.
The former two-division world champion Hatton believes the Joshua-Fury fight is “doomed” and will never happen.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) has had nothing but bad luck since dethroning WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder a year and a half ago in February 2020.
Tyson wanted to fight Joshua for the undisputed championship in August, but that plan was foiled by the U.S arbitrator ruling that Fury must face Wilder next.
Recently, Fury tested positive for COVID-19, which has pushed back his scheduled July 24th meeting with Wilder to October 9th.
Hatton believes that the longer the Joshua-Fury fight takes, the more it favors Joshua. Although the 31-year-old Joshua is only a year younger than the 32-year-old Fury, he looks considerably younger.
Fury could lose to Wilder
To look at the two, you’d think Fury is at least a decade older than Joshua, a fighter nearing 40. More importantly, Joshua trains year-round and doesn’t let himself go the way Fury does.
“Fury vs. Anthony Joshua now seems further away than ever. What happens now?” said Ricky Hatton to the Metro.
“It all just pushes the fight further back. As a fight fan, you fear the worst, the biggest fight in British boxing history. Is it actually going to happen? It just seems we are doomed,” said Hatton of the Joshua vs. Fury mega-clash.
Hatton is leaving out the real possibility that Fury could lose to the highly motivated Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) in their trilogy fight on October 9th.
While Deontay is working hard with his new trainer Malik Scott, improving his craft, Fury is taking it easy, recovering from COVID-19, being seen in casinos in Las Vegas.
Wilder’s devastating power, coupled with the hard work he’s putting in with coach Scott, could be more than enough to offset Fury’s skills.
Deontay REALLY wants to avenge his loss, and he’s going to be looking to destroy Fury with every punch he throws.
The easy time that Fury in the second fight had seemingly clouded his head, making him forget what happened in the first fight when he was knocked cold by Deontay in the 12th.
“When you think about it, Tyson had two comeback fights; he went straight in against Wilder and went straight in for the rematch,” said Hatton. “He wants to get his career and his legacy done and dusted.
Joshua is fresher than Tyson Fury
“Whereas for AJ, the younger, fresher of the two, it doesn’t matter as much if this drags out another two or three years. It does for Tyson. The longer this drags out, the better this is for AJ.”
With the way Fury is aging rapidly, he could be a shot fighter by the time he meets up with Joshua. Regardless of what happens against Wilder, Fury may be over the hill when Joshua faces him.
We’ve heard rumors about Fury being battered by sparring partner 21-year-old Jared Anderson in training for the postponed trilogy match with Wilder. If those rumors are true, it doesn’t bode well for Fury against the hard-hitting Deontay.
Of course, if Fury gets knocked into oblivion by Deontay, it won’t necessarily stop the Joshua fight from happening.
There will still be a boatload of money to be made by Fury and Joshua in a fight between them, even if ‘The Gypsy King’ is coming into the match on the back of a devastating KO loss to Deontay. Joshua vs. Fury will still be big business in the UK, if not elsewhere.
The reality is, Fury is aging rapidly, and there’s a good chance he’ll be knocked out by Wilder on October 9th if the fight doesn’t get postponed yet again.