Anthony Joshua should wait for Tyson Fury, rather than rolling the dice in boxing’s most unforgiving division

British sporting rivalries have a unique way of trumping any other hand on the table. In truth, we are an emotional nation, easily seduced by tribalistic loyalties and addictive storytelling. Whether it’s geographical, historical or simply born out of close competition, a worthy dance partner can ultimately define your standing in your chosen sport’s annals.

And these dance partners can rarely be spoken of in isolation. You are bound together as alternating chapters inside the same story, battling for an edge in relevance way beyond your day of retirement.

Advertisement

It’s the conversations down the pub that still end in blazing arguments, even after the dust has seemingly settled on years of debate. It’s Steve Evett vs. Sebastian Coe, Steve Davis vs. Dennis Taylor, Chris Eubank Sr. vs. Nigel Benn, Liverpool vs. Manchester United, and even before they have touched gloves, it’s Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.

Fury and Joshua’s names have followed each other’s around the globe across the last decade. Both have scaled the summit of the heavyweight mountain from opposite sides taking contrasting routes, have lost their footing, have fallen off, have climbed back up, but are yet to have laid eyes upon each other through the mist of one of sport’s steepest and most dangerous climbs.

Roll the clock back 13 years and you’d be laughed out of the Finchley ABC for suggesting the hypothetical decision Joshua may have to make in the summer of 2025: Continue making more money than he and his great grandchildren could ever spend, or wait for a legacy-defining fight with his ultimate dance partner: Fury.

Advertisement

At 35 years of age, this decision is now more important than ever. Joshua has been kept on the shelf since suffering the fourth defeat of his career to Daniel Dubois this past September due to required elbow surgery, and despite what his dough-eyed promotor Eddie Hearn will claim, Joshua isn’t getting any better.

Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia don’t care about Joshua’s legacy or what stories will be told about him down the local pub in 25 years time, but the pride of a fighter should never be underestimated. A reported two-fight deal with Riyadh Season is on the table for Joshua’s return, topping up his staggering bank balance but, importantly, rolling the dice on what remains of his career.

Dillian Whyte and Jared Anderson are the two opponents rumored to be part of this deal and both are men that, on their day, could beat a faded Joshua. Hearn has since confirmed this, adding that there are possibly another three names in the mix. Alalshikh’s pit of money seemingly has no floor, but how much is enough when you’re risking bowing out against an opponent that you: A) did beat, and, B) would have beaten handedly in your pomp?

Fortunately for Joshua, he has carved out a career of such success that the decision on the path he takes will be solely left up to him — but that’s not to say he won’t be pulled left and right by those who still wish to benefit by his behemoth pull as a prizefighter.

Both Joshua and Fury are two-time heavyweight champions of the world and deep into their 30s. They have both expressed an internal addiction to the sport, but perhaps only a meeting between the pair could now come close to scratching what itch is left for either in boxing.

Advertisement

Fury is retired at the time of writing. But he continues to drop hints on social media regarding a return to action — something that won’t be a surprise in the slightest from a man who changes his mind and behavior more often than the British summer.

The “Gypsy King” claims a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk — an undisputed king of the division who handed him his two career losses — is his only route back into the ring, but that ship has rightly sailed. Fury options are perhaps more limited than Joshua’s himself, and the quicker he realizes this, the quicker this all-British heavyweight fight can be penned.

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn’s slugfest at the end of April underlined the British appetite for a domestic rivalry. There were no official accolades on the line that evening inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but pride and bragging rights would’ve trumped any trinket that the governing bodies could’ve attempted to throw at the pair of born adversaries.

Joshua and Fury’s rivalry has been born through competition — and if they decide to pass on fighting each other, then both of their boxing stories will end unfinished.