Tyson Fury is now the favourite with bookmakers to beat heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua, if the pair decide to meet in a battle of Britain next year.
Fury, who is affectionately known as the Gypsy King, is now 4/7 with some firms, but some have him as low as 1/2.
It’s far from straightforward for Fury though, as Anthony Joshua successfully defended his WBA, IBF and WBO titles in a competitive bout against Pulev last time and would become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world with victory over Fury.
According to Odds Manager’s odds are rarely too far apart, but Anthony Joshua is now a best price of 7/4 to beat Fury, and even the aforementioned slick defeat of Kubrat Pulev has done little to improve his chances with the bookies.
However, some firms are slightly more optimistic about AJ’s capabilities and rule him to be an 11/8 shot for victory if he does face Fury in 2021.
A draw would seem unlikely with so many belts on the line, including the WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World, and at 22/1, there won’t be many punters rushing to back things ending all square.
Knockout Chances
Both Joshua and Fury have plenty of knockout victories to their names and with bragging rights on the line in a battle for British sporting glory, you’d expect them to be both going for the ultimate punch.
With Fury the most likely winner, he’s 9/4 to win via knockout, although him winning by decision is perhaps more realistic at 15/8.
Joshua, however, loves a knockout and that could well be his best chance of beating the Gypsy King.
AJ knocked Pulev to the canvas on three occasions in his last outing and ended the bout in the ninth round. He’s a best price of 5/2 to win by knockout again against Fury, while 8/1 says the Watford-born boxer will win by decision.
Round By Round
If there is to be a knockout blow, then plenty of punters will be hoping to find the round in which it will happen.
It would be something of an anti-climax if it was to happen early, and with both boxers likely to just try and work each other out in the opening rounds, it’s no surprise to see that reflected in the odds.
Fury to win by knockout in round two is as big as 35/1, while AJ to land that knockout blow in round four is currently sat at 25/1.
Instead, it’s the middle rounds that will generate the most interest from boxing fans, with an eighth round knockout victory for the Gypsy King already available at as low as 20/1.
A similar turn of events for Joshua is 25/1 for him to knockout Fury in rounds eight or nine.
Will The Fight Actually Happen?
As far as the media reports suggest, the fight should happen in the not too distant future.
Although there have been regular updates on what might happen, there has yet to be any concrete information on the contracts being signed and sealed.
Joshua is already rumored to have a gentlemen’s agreement in place with the Fury team, with a two-fight deal reportedly on the table for 2021. That may include a fight either side of the summer, but with full capacity crowds yet to return, it could fall into the back end of the year or even into 2022.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has already spoken about the possibility of the first fight taking place outside the UK, with Saudi Arabia a likely destination after AJ’s second fight with Andy Ruiz Jr took place in the popular Saudi city of Diriyah.
If it does take place, it will be the biggest fight that Britain has seen in a generation, so understandably, both camps are keeping any arrangements on the down low.
