Tyson Fury wants back in. The former heavyweight champ, who has been on the sidelines for more than two years while dealing with personal and professional issues, wants to resume his stalled career and he’s targeting the top dog in the division, Anthony Joshua.
It would be interesting to see how the experts would rate the “Gypsy King” and his chances of beating rising superstar, Joshua. A useful source for online betting odds would probably indicate that chances are pretty good he would not be a favorite to win.
Still, the outspoken Fury feels that he can more than hold his own against the reigning IBF/WBA heavyweight titlist.
“He [Anthony Joshua] doesn’t have great footwork or upper body movement, and he doesn’t move too good on angles. To meet a fighter like myself who does have good footwork, does have good lateral movement, and can move on angles, that equals disaster. With me being knowledgeable about boxing and heavyweight boxing – I study it and I have done for many, many years – I understand how I have to beat these guys,” Fury recently told Talk Sport.
“To beat someone with those attributes it would be hard but someone of my ability can move, box, and twist, and all I would have to do is make him miss a bit. As we saw against Wladimir [Klitschko], he blew a gasket trying to land his punches.
“You just have to go back to [Muhammad] Ali and [George] Foreman – the big puncher against the big mover. I think boxing, especially heavyweight, is a chess match. More of a brains match rather than who is the strongest or quickest.”
Fury did the seemingly impossible back in November of 2015 when he soundly defeated long-reigning IBF/WBO/WBA world champ Wladimir Klitschko via unanimous decision. However, the belts seemed to weigh heavily on the back of the Irish provocateur, who later vacated the titles, claiming that mental health issues prevented him from continuing on with his career.
But time has passed and the boxing bug has bit Fury once again. The former champ wants to return to the ring, one hundred pounds overweight, but otherwise in fine spirits and full of his unique brand of energy.
There’s no doubting that Fury, when he’s of sound mind and body, can be an elite-level figure in the heavyweight division. The question is whether even a top level Fury can handle someone like Joshua, who is already at the top and just getting better and better as time passes.
Time will tell whether Fury has what it takes to defeat Joshua, but with so much money on the table for such a high-profile bout, it’s almost a sure thing that this heavyweight showdown will be put together.
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