Anthony Joshua has done his part. Tyson Fury, in calling out Joshua moments after the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion had ruthlessly and impressively finished a tough and brave Kubrat Pulev, has done his. Now all that needs to happen is the putting aside of politics and any other obstacles to making the humongous heavyweight super-fight, and get it ON! it simply has to happen in 2021: Fury Vs. Joshua, for all the marbles. Joshua looked great last night in dropping Pulev four times as he smashed him to comprehensive defeat in the ninth round. A superb finisher, Joshua was not the cautious boxer we saw out in Saudi Arabia when boxing his must-win rematch with Andy Ruiz. No, last night we saw the return of Anthony Joshua the power-puncher.
Joshua has many punches in his arsenal and last night it was his brutal uppercut that stole the show. Fans in attendance (making a whole lot more noise than one would have expected 1,000 people could make in such a large stadium) loved Joshua’s performance, while they also appreciated the toughness and the stubbornness of challenger Pulev. But Tyson Fury wasn’t impressed, at least this is what he claimed afterwards. Taking to social media after AJ had done his job in getting rid of his IBF mandatory, the reigning WBC heavyweight champ declared how he will KO Joshua “inside three rounds.”
“I want the fight next. I can’t wait to knock him out,” Fury posted.
Joshua has responded:
“That’s good to hear,” the three-belt ruler said. “At least I can get him in the ring. That’s what we want, right – so he’s on the right track.”
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum are both telling us how massive, how gargantuan the Joshua-Fury fight is, now all they, and Frank Warren have to do is get together and thrash out a deal and get the fight on. Hearn says the fight is the biggest in boxing. Arum, as per a report from BBC Sport, says he will begin working on the fight tomorrow, stating how Fury Vs. Joshua is the “biggest fight since Muhammad Ali Vs. Joe Frazier in 1971.” That was of course “The Fight Of The Century,” with unbeaten rivals Ali and Frazier, each having a genuine claim to the crown, giving the world a fight that actually lived up to all the hype; maybe it even surpassed it. Joshua is no longer unbeaten, yet he has as much of a claim to be the world heavyweight champion as Fury does, perhaps even more so.
Just as the world was pretty much split over who would win between Ali and Frazier, so are fans split over who will come out on top when Fury and Joshua fight. And they have to fight, at least once. This could be the next great heavyweight trilogy, though – just like Ali-Frazier. Joshua wants it, Fury wants it – the world wants it. That should be enough, more than enough, to make sure the fight takes place.
2021 could/should be a huge year for the sport of boxing.