Previewing Fury vs Joshua – The Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain is the name coined by historians to describe the military campaign fought between the RAF of Britain and the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany. The stakes couldn’t have been any higher for Britain; win and they lived to fight another day, lose and face invasion.

Whilst the clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua isn’t nearly half as perilous as the Battle of Britain, it is a fight with titanic potential. The victor will write their name indelibly in boxing history whilst the loser will have their legacy diminished a notch.

With the beef between the two heating up as Tyson Fury suggested he would beat Joshua inside three rounds, we look ahead to what has the potential to be the fight of the century.

When will it happen?

Talks are still ongoing between the two fighters as to when the clash will take place, but media reports suggest that a fight at Wembley Stadium could be held as soon as summer of this year, with a rematch earmarked for December.

One major obstacle that has stood in the way of the Fury vs Joshua fight, maybe, is the status of Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO mandatory challenger to the title held by Joshua. 

Recent media reports have suggested though that the WBO has written to Usyk and asked him to step aside to allow the fight to go ahead. A representative for Usyk has confirmed this but it is understood that the Ukranian is waiting on news of a financial package from fight promoters to confirm his intention to step aside.

Whilst nothing has been agreed as of yet, the noises coming out of both Fury and Joshua’s camps suggest that an agreement is not too far off.

Who will win? Is it too close to call?

It’s almost too close to call. While it’s being regarded as the Battle of Britain, it’s certainly attracted plenty of attention here in the US, and the sportsbooks in nearby West Virginia which are now open to betting can’t split them. When you start to look at the thoughts of the pundits it becomes even more confusing.

The majority of former pros seem to be edging towards a Fury win with Mike Tyson recently saying, “Fury is the best heavyweight champion of the world since myself. He is the man; I don’t care what anybody says.”

Whereas most boxing journalists seem to be backing Anthony Joshua to come out on top, so who’s right? Well, let’s look at three key areas where the fight will be won and lost and attempt to answer that question.

Powerful Combinations

There is a lot of needle between these two fighters already, a good six months before they face each other in the ring so expect a lot more beef between now and then. 

When the two fighters touch gloves and raise their guards there will be an awful lot of emotion in the ring and perhaps, an anxiety on both sides to hit a knockout blow. So, the fight could come down to who can harness their emotion best and deliver a howitzer of a hit.

There’s a general consensus in the boxing world that Tyson Fury is an incredibly awkward fighter to face, capable of landing punches from even the most obtuse of angles.

With that in mind, the onus will surely be on Joshua to end the fight as quickly as possible and out of the two, he possesses the best ability to do just that.

Fury cut his teeth in boxing the old-school way, whereas Joshua came up as an Olympic fighter, winning a Gold medal and excelling in the fundamentals along the way. His ability to hit good, successive combo punches with real force could tip the fight in his favour.

If anyone is going to win it will surely be Joshua.

The Boxing Purist

Let’s face facts for a moment if we can, what usually happens when a fight has been hyped up to the extent of this one? Nothing. These types of fights are usually a damp squib that see both fighters inhibit themselves with the fear of losing rather than going full throttle for the win.

If Fury vs Joshua is another one of those fights, then that suits Tyson Fury right down to the ground as the fight will most probably go the distance. Fury is the better boxer from a technical view, so if the fight goes the distance expect him to grind Joshua down into the dirt.

Tyson Fury showed why he is considered as the best technical boxer in the world when he defeated Deontay Wilder

Mentality

At the very top of all elite sport the gap between the best in the world and second best are usually less than 1%. In heavyweight boxing that is no different meaning this fight could come down to who has the better mentality.

Fury has been criticised in the past for his mentality, but as he showed by publicly battling back from mental health problems and addiction his grit and determination are second to none.

Joshua equally has highlighted a concrete mentality to get to the point he is now at in his career, but does he have the same drive as Tyson Fury? 

Does he have the experience of hitting rock bottom and clawing his way back to the top relentlessly as Fury does? Perhaps not, which means Fury could come through in this fight in a bigger way than his opponent.

In Summary

It really is too close to call as to who will win between Fury and Joshua when you dig right down into it. But Tyson Fury’s Road to Redemption story is a powerful one to ignore and it is what we believe will give him the edge when these two face off in the summer.