We fight fans have learned the hard way that it serves to be cautious. Too many times over recent years we have been led to believe a super-fight we all want to see is just around the corner, and then – wham! We’re sucker-punched, the fight turns out to be a dream and nothing more. Either the mega-fight fails to happen, period, or the two fighters wait and wait, finally getting it on only when they are past their best.
Which is why we are wise to not get too carried away over talk of a heavyweight super-fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua being all but nailed on for 2021; possibly as early as May. Bob Arum makes it sound oh, so simple. Now that Fury has “moved on” from his third fight with Deontay Wilder, and will reportedly face TBA in London in December (the date being spoken of is Dec. 5), and now that Joshua has a date set for his long-overdue IBF mandatory defence against Kubrat Pulev (Dec. 12), Arum says that as long as the two men win, a mega-fight between the two can be made “in three hours.”
Speaking with Boxing Social, Arum said: “We’re all set with that,” with regards to a Fury-Joshua fight.
“It’s a 50/50 deal, we’ll iron out details,” the Top Rank boss went on. “Let the two guys fight in December. Tyson against whomever he fights December 5, Joshua against Pulev on December 12. They both win, we know pretty well where we’re going with the fight. I think within three hours we can finalise any details that are outstanding, it’s not rocket science, particularly when you make a 50/50 deal.”
It will of course be great if it turns out to be so straightforward, but will this be the case? For one thing, what if Pulev knocks Joshua out – you know, the way Arum was adamantly telling us would be the case. Has Bob changed his mind? What if Fury lost? This seems unlikely, but you never know, especially when the big men of the sport are in action. And let’s not even start on what legal action Team-Wilder may try and take over “losing out” on that third fight. Who knows how messy things could get in that regard.
And then there is the big question: do both Joshua and Fury really, absolutely want to fight one another? It has been said by some (John Fury for one) that Joshua may well be “protected,” that he will not be allowed to fight Fury due to the high risk of losing. You may not subscribe to such thinking, but until this fight is signed, sealed and delivered, we fight fans have the right to remain cynical.
We’ve been burned too many times before.