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By: Sean Crose
It was perhaps the most hoped for fight in boxing, a superstar event between two towering Brits for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Or at least it hasn’t happened yet. For Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua no longer occupy the zenith of the heavyweight mountain. Both men have now been defeated twice by divisional king Oleksandr Usyk. Neither man is likely to get a fight with Usyk again. In other words, a bout between Joshua and Fury will no longer answer the question of who the best heavyweight on earth is.
Still, there’s a lot to like about a match between these two supersized combatants. First of all, these men came close to fighting a few year’s back, and no one likes the unanswered question of who the better fighter is. What’s more, a Joshua- Fury battle would be an enormous deal in England. It’s easy to picture close to 100 thousand people stuffed into a place like Wembley Stadium to see the bout go down live. There would no doubt be plenty of interest outside the UK, as well, including among American boxing fans. Each man may be on the down side of his career, but it’s not like Joshua and Fury are mere shadows of their former selves.
Fury, as most fans know, is retired. He’s been retired before, though. What’s more, Joshua seems to want the fight. “I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight,” the former world titlist told IFL TV. “I think it makes sense. You could say it’s been years in the making.” You very well could. Again, there’s a real sense of unfinished business when it comes to these two titans – along with Usyk and Deontay Wilder – of the post Klitschko era.
Of course neither man can wait too long if this fight is eventually going to happen. These aren’t kids. Indeed, both men are now in their mid thirties. Add that to the fact they’ve both been in some serious wars and it’s obvious that a time element is in play. Should Fury decide to come out of retirement for what would clearly be a massive paycheck, both he and Joshua could be given a final crack at glory. Each guy has lost his latest fight, so winning a final memorable battle – and Joshua and Fury have had plenty of memorable battles between them – means there’s a good chance for the winner to exit the sport on top. Unless, of course, there’s a rematch.
