Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are still far apart in terms of actually ever meeting in a boxing ring.
Following that, AJ searches for an alternative adversary for a few weeks while Fury proceeds to engage in a trilogy bout with Dereck Chisora on December 3. The aspirations of a colossal showdown between the two British giants are once again postponed.
However, luck was not on our side. It seemed like we were making progress towards an agreement, all television networks were in agreement, AJ had consented to a 60-40 distribution of earnings in ‘The Gypsy King’s’ favor, and naturally, December 3 was the anticipated date for the long-awaited Fury vs Joshua match.
Promoter Eddie Hearn announced that contracts for a two-fight agreement were signed on March 15. Fury and Joshua seemed ready to face each other for the first time on Saturday, August 14, 2021, with a scheduled rematch in either November or December.
Fury stated that in order to find a suitable extension or resolution for his failed trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder, he must resurrect from the disaster caused by the ruling of arbitration in the United States. After just 24 hours, Fury confirmed the venue and date with great joy, which is set to be on May 17th.
In their third encounter, Wilder was promptly knocked out by Fury, but Joshua relinquished his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight championships to Ukrainian virtuoso Oleksandr Usyk through a unanimous decision at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During a subsequent bout in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, eleven months later, he would be unsuccessful in reclaiming them.
Usyk and Fury currently hold all the major heavyweight titles – Fury is the king of the lineal and WBC, while Usyk is the champion of the Ring magazine, WBO, WBA, and IBF.
In February 2020, Fury reclaimed the world heavyweight championship by overpowering the previously undefeated ‘Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder, marking the pinnacle of his journey towards redemption. Having nearly destroyed his career due to depression and substantial weight increase, Fury, the outspoken and charismatic ‘Gypsy King’ from the north of England, shocked Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to attain the status of world champion at the age of 34.
Now weighing in at a staggering 32-0-1, John Fury, the father of the behemoth from Morecambe, has come a long way since the premature birth of his son, weighing just one pound. He was named Fury John after the former heavyweight king, Mike Tyson. The man brings pure theatre to any press conference, and he doesn’t just fight for himself at night – he brings something truly unique to the world of boxing. A Fury fight is truly something special in this day and age.
In his hometown, Joshua (24-3), at the age of 32, is currently the dominant superstar from Watford who reigned supreme in the amateur circuit, winning the super-heavyweight gold at the 2012 Olympics. Subsequently, he swiftly climbed the ladder in the professional divisions.
Usyk suffered devastating losses in the past. However, he recently knocked out Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds in December 2020 to retain his titles. In December 2019, he quickly avenged his TKO loss in the seventh round by regaining his belts with a comprehensive victory in Saudi Arabia. But in June 2019, he suffered a shocking defeat in his first professional fight against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York, standing in as a late replacement. He enjoyed a career-defining night in April 2017 when he valiantly defeated Wladimir Klitschko in an epic showdown at Wembley, just like Fury.