Of all the must-see, must happen fights that we didn’t actually see, because they didn’t happen, the 1990s heavyweight classic that would have been Lennox Lewis-Riddick Bowe has to be one of the biggest disappointments. Back and forth these two stars and rival champions went, only for the fight to fail to get off the ground.
Former heavyweight king Tyson Fury does not want a fight between himself and Anthony Joshua to go the same way: nowhere. Just this week, unbeaten WBA/IBF champ Joshua called Fury out, saying this is the fight the fans want and therefore it is “top of my list.”
It didn’t take Fury, also unbeaten, long to respond. Taking to social media, where he uploaded a video, Fury said the fight has to happen.
“Addressing the AJ call out. You need to fight me ‘cos I’m still the lineal champ! Been out of boxing nearly two years so that should make it fair on the others,” Fury stated. “I really don’t believe that AJ can lace my boots up. I want to come back and see how good I am even with the time out. Me versus AJ is the biggest fight in boxing without a doubt. If this fight isn’t made it will be like Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe.”
So both fighters want the fight. There are problems, however. First of all, Fury has yet to get his license reinstated, and secondly, he has yet to prove he can get himself back into top fighting shape. But with the possible exception of Joshua against Deontay Wilder, or even Wilder against Fury, this all-British match-up is, as Fury says, the biggest fight out there.
A guaranteed outdoor stadium filler, maybe another 90,000 crowd at Wembley, everyone would want to see this fight. Who wins? Until he can show us all he still has it, Fury is the man with everything to prove.
“Let’s make boxing great again,” Fury added.
Some fans would argue how the recent Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko battle did just that, could a Fury-Joshua fight top that rumble?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm_CMLHlqJQ