Heavyweight boxing lacked star power for a while, but things have gotten exciting again, with fighters like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Deontay Wilder all competing at the top. The popularity further soared when UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou stepped into the boxing ring for a memorable fight against WBC champ Tyson Fury.
Boxing fans have been demanding a fight between heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. This dream matchup could be inching closer to reality after Joshua’s impressive knockout win over Dillian Whyte, Fury’s previous opponent.
Anthony Joshua demands Tyson Fury after Francis Ngannou
Before he massacred Francis Ngannou in just two rounds in the main event of Knockout Chaos, Anthony Joshua had already set sights on a fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. “Give me an opportunity to fight Fury and I’ll show you what I’m about,” Joshua said in an interview for DAZN Boxing on YouTube.
Francis Ngannou had scored a knockdown on Fury but was unable to land a decisive blow and Anthony Joshua did not think that would happen if he fought Fury. “If I put Fury on his arse, I wouldn’t let him get up,” said Joshua, who also stated that he and Fury are completely different in terms of mindset, genetics, and strength.
Joshua also revealed their sparring sessions during their amateur days, where he claimed that he got the upper hand over Fury. Nonetheless, the two boxers had a different journey to the top of the sport. Joshua went professional after an accomplished amateur career where he won a gold medal in the Olympics.
On the other hand, Fury turned professional much before Joshua and achieved success fairly quickly but had his career derailed due to clinical depression. During Fury’s absence from the sport, Joshua made a name for himself as he became the unified boxing champion in the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury once FaceTimed Anthony Joshua at the bar to establish a point
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have made scathing comments against each other and that has put a different angle on their relationship from the point of view of an outsider. However, that is not the case, as the two almost have a cordial relationship.
Preluding his first fight against Deontay Wilder in 2020, the then-WBC heavyweight champion, Fury, FaceTimed Anthony Joshua, which was caught on camera as Fury was in the process of making his documentary, Tyson Fury: Gypsy King, as per the Sun. The two exchanged cordially and Joshua even asked Fury when they would fight, to which Fury did not have a proper response.
When Tyson Fury FaceTimed Anthony Joshua while in the pub just to prove a point to the punters he was sat with…
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 8, 2024
[🎥 @ITV]pic.twitter.com/QkYLfqcrpq
At the time, Joshua hoped for the fight to happen like he always does in 2021 but that did not happen as Fury went on to fight a trilogy with Wilder and Joshua lost his unified titles to Oleksandr Usyk and was also unable to get the belts back in the immediate rematch.
Fury’s upcoming fight is against Usyk and there is a rematch clause inserted in the bout that would likely mean that a Joshua versus Fury fight won’t happen in 2024. As of now, mid-2025 looks like a potential date for the fight if all things go well.
Who do you think will win a fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury? Leave your prediction below!
