The machinery behind Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s supposed mega-fight continues to churn storylines and developments that seemingly get us closer to a deal, yet still stopping short of signing on the dotted line.
Ever since Fury confirmed he’s bored of his one-year retirement and hoping to inject some pizzazz into an already-lively heavyweight division, fight fans were divided from those who never expected his decision to step away from boxing to stick, and those who expressed some interest in the all-British bout with Joshua.
Regardless of whether it’s made, it remains a travesty that they haven’t fought once, if not twice or thrice already, considering they’ve been linked with one another for almost a decade.
And they weren’t even that far apart on April 11 when Fury bamboozled Arslanbek Makhmudov in a somewhat lackadaisical display before doing his best to cut a promo on the mic, calling out AJ, only for his hulking rival to stay slouched on his ringside seat, unfazed, and unwilling to entertain stepping into the ring for a face-off.
They’re both free of other obligations right now.
And so one might think the time could finally be right for the fight.
Well, one might also be wrong.
We learned recently that the sport’s financier Turki Alalshikh presented Joshua with a two-fight offer, which his promoter Eddie Hearn said they were considering and would likely sign, with the first of the fights a warm-up for the second, which would be against Fury, later in the year.
Now, Hearn has revealed there’s a planned month, too. “The offer that we received … is to fight in July and fight Tyson Fury around November,” he said, according to Boxing Scene. “We’re up for that.”
“My instructions are make the fight.”
— Eddie Hearn on his instructions from Anthony Joshua RE: Tyson Fury
Speaking of Joshua
The Brit’s former opponent, Andy Ruiz, whom he lost to in humiliating fashion in New York, is interested in fighting England’s next superstar heavyweight, Moses Itauma.
Just not right now (this is becoming a familiar theme).
Speaking to casino.org, Ruiz described Itauma as “a bad man [because of] his combinations, timing everything is really good,” he said. “He’s a really dangerous fighter to anybody who’s trying to get at him right now … a lot of heavyweights should be careful with him.”
Ruiz would welcome a fight against Itauma providing he gets “at least two fights in first.”
Sigh.
Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn Appears Closest to Happening
From fights that aren’t happening next to one that looks like it is, we move onto the WBC’s newest welterweight champion Ryan Garcia, who dethroned Mario Barrios with a mature performance to capture the crown, could create a memorable promotion if he defends his title against Zuffa Boxing signing Conor Benn.
The polarizing prizefighters are “far along” in negotiations for a scrap, per Boxing Scene.
