WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is, we hope, heading into a massive, and massively intriguing, unification showdown with rival heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk. And while Fury, again, we hope, attends to business, this will leave the other big players in the sport’s premiere weight division free to get busy in big fights against each other.
There are, potentially, a number of genuinely great match-ups to be made at heavyweight that don’t involve Fury or Usyk: Deontay Wilder-Andy Ruiz, Deontay Wilder-Joe Joyce, Deontay Wilder-Anthony Joshua, and one or two others.
But for many, the big one, the guaranteed explosion of a heavyweight shoot-out, is still Wilder against AJ. Fury, though, doesn’t think his countryman “has the minerals” to fight Wilder. Why? Because, as Fury said when speaking with Behind The Gloves, Deontay Wilder would “knock him out cold” if they fought. And Fury says he is willing to put his money where his mouth is on this fight and its result – to the tune of a cool £1 million.
“I’d like to see that fight but I don’t think AJ has got the minerals to take that fight,” Fury said of a Wilder-Joshua clash. “That’s it, I just don’t think he will fight anyone who that will knock him out. I just don’t; that’s my personal opinion. Wilder will definitely knock out Joshua. I’d even have a bet on it. I’d have one million quid on it with anybody. £1 million, even money, Wilder knocks Joshua out cold.”
But is Fury right; will Joshua swerve the fight with Wilder? Talks of a kind have reportedly begun once again, between Shelly Finkel and Eddie Hearn, with Finkel saying his guy Wilder is willing to fight Joshua next instead of Andy Ruiz. But does Anthony Joshua want it? Recently, at the Dillian Whyte-Jermain Franklin fight, Joshua said to IFL TV that he will fight either Fury or Wilder next year, or maybe both.
Fury is now heading to the Usyk fight, so Joshua will not get that one now (or maybe ever). Wouldn’t it be great if Joshua agreed to fight Wilder, in doing so showing us, and Fury, that he DOES have the minerals, and the heart, for such a dangerous but potentially massively rewarding fight?
Joshua is in need of a big 2023 less he runs the risk of fading from prominence. As far as non-title fights go, there is no bigger fight than Wilder Vs. Joshua.