Is the Joshua v Fury fight finally on?

The much-anticipated fight to establish the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world may finally become a reality, and it could put Nigeria firmly on the boxing map. The two-fight deal, between Nigerian descendant Anthony Joshua and Britain’s Tyson Fury, has been talked about for a long time, but a recent announcement by Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has brought the bout a step closer.

Why is the fight so important?

There is much excitement about the proposed fight, as the winner would be the first boxer ever to hold all four officially recognised heavyweight world championship titles at the same time. Any Joshua v Fury fight is sure to generate huge interest, both in the boxing world and amongst fight backers on sports betting sites like Unibet, but with all the titles at stake, that interest will be a hundred times higher.BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello sums up the huge anticipation when he says: “this fight promises to be as big as anything in British boxing history – with global significance”.

Joshua, the Tribune Sports man of the year in 2020, currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, having regained them from Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. Fury is the current WBC champion, having won the title from Deontay Wilder in 2020. Fury previously held the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, after his victory against Wladimir Klitchko in 2015. Between them, they have had 56 professional fights, with just one loss, when Joshua lost to Ruiz before reversing the result at the rematch.

When will it happen?

As ever, there is a lot of confusion about the dates and venues for the two fights, but Eddie Hearn was adamant that “all parties have now put pen to paper and we will be working hard over the next few weeks to confirm the site and date”. Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, was unhappy that the announcement had been made by Joshua’s camp alone. He understood that only joint statements would be made, but he did stress that “everybody is on the same page”.

No details have been confirmed yet, but there is speculation that the fight could take place in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Dubai. As for the date, while the Joshua camp is confident of a clash as early as May or June. However, Fury was quoted as saying that the fight was nowhere near happening and that he had stopped training. “I’m not going to hold my breath,” he told reporters.

Who is Anthony Joshua?

The 31-year-old boxer may have been born in Watford in England, but he can trace his Nigerian roots back through a royal bloodline. His mother is Nigerian and his father is Nigerian / Irish. The family ancestors are from Sagamua in Ogun State, and the region still considers him to be one of their own sons. Joshua spent time at boarding school in Nigeria as a child before returning to England at the age of 12.

He boxed for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where he won the gold medal in the Super Heavyweight category. In his professional career, he has won 22 of his 25 fights by a knockout, including his fight against Wladimir Klitchko in 2016, which was named the Fight of the Year.

So, will the fight actually happen?

Boxing is a notoriously fickle and ego-driven game, and bouts can fall through over disputes about the smallest of details. Yet the huge appetite for the match-up of the two best boxers in the world means that there is plenty of incentive for the two teams to find a way. Pay-per-view fans alone would generate an irresistible revenue stream, while a large crowd in the UAE would also be highly lucrative.

Perhaps more importantly, both boxers will be driven to establish themselves as the best of the best. The opportunity for one of them to claim the title of the undisputed champion of the world means far more to either of them than money. For all the talk and counter-talk, you can be sure that they both want to make this fight happen, and happen soon, even if Fury isn’t holding his breath.