When two fighters are each earning a staggering $75 million payday, can there really be a loser? In the common sense meaning of the word loser, no, not at all. Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will be paid this gargantuan sum of money for their services on the evening of August 14th in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No wonder this fight had to happen.
After all the back-and-forth stuff, after all the arguing, all the name-calling, and after plenty of scepticism on the part of a good many fight fans, the fight is at last a go. Fury has been assured by the prince in Saudi Arabia who is putting the money up that the finances are indeed sound. Bob Arum has also said the money men behind the so-called “Fight of the Century” that will take place in August are men of their word.
Now that all the talking is done, it’s time for the real work, in the gym. Joshua has reportedly been working hard for some weeks now, while Fury looks to be in good shape, his face slim, his weight steady. With a little under three months to go, both men will have plenty of time in which to whip their skills to a state of razor-sharp readiness. There will be nothing left to chance with this fight, no stone left unturned in the gym.
Then we will get the fun and games of the pre-fight press conferences and face-offs (if you enjoy them, maybe like a good many of us, this side of the sport has long since grown tiresome). Fury will of course be looking to win the mind games, to get firmly under Joshua’s skin the way he did with Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. Joshua has thus far been pretty quiet about his upcoming date with destiny, merely urging Fury to hurry up and sign the contract. Both men wanted this fight all along, and now at last, we fans can sit back and look forward to it.
Who wins? You could come up with at least three or four realistic scenarios: Fury by decision, Joshua by late KO, Fury by late stoppage – even a draw. No doubt plenty of us will be put through the ringer over the coming weeks, our minds changing again and again. Bottom line: this one is a 50-50 fight. Any “expert,” who “knows” what will happen, had better make their bold prediction now, not after the fact.
This fight could go either way. In the end, though, both men will be smiling as they walk to the bank. $150 million split right down the middle. This may not be the greatest heavyweight title fight in history, but it sure is the richest.