By: Sean Crose
About a week ago I finally got fed up and lost interest in a potential fight between towering former titlists Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Naturally word has since come out that the two supersized heavyweights will indeed end up squaring off in December. The problem is, I still can’t get too excited about it. And until just recently, I’d have been quite happy with these latest developments. The heart no longer wants what the heart no longer wants, I suppose. This doesn’t mean I won’t be closely following developments in the leadup to the opening bell. Nor does it mean I won’t be sure to watch the fight live when it goes down around the holidays. It simply means I likely won’t be EXCITED about the whole thing.
With that being said there’s still a lot to like about this matchup. Both Fury and Joshua may be over the hill, but they’re hard hitting, skilled and experienced pugilists. They’ve backed up what Lennox Lewis was able to prove decades ago, that big men can indeed be skilled fighters. What’s more, these two can be exciting to watch, something that former longtime heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko wasn’t.
The true problem, really, is the nagging question of what could have been. People waited over five years for Floyd Mayweather to finally face Manny Pacquiao during the last decade. They’ll have had to wait for well over ten years for Joshua and Fury to finally throw down. That’s’ inexcusable. Not that it’s entirely the fault of Joshua and Fury themselves. They were once ready to fight for the undisputed heavyweight title before a judge ordered Fury to face Deontay Wilder for a third time (which actually ended up being a heavyweight battle for the ages). Joshua moved on the fight Oleksandr Usyk, who beat him twice. Fury then faced Usyk twice himself, only to lose twice to the Ukrainian as Joshua had.
Still there was a hunger for a Joshua-Fury fight that somehow remained. This is due to the fact that the main purpose of boxing is to answer the question of which fighter is better. People genuinely wanted to learn who the better man in the ring was, Fury or Joshua. It remains a fascinating question, which is why this battle will unquestionably be the most watched boxing match of the year. I’ve just finally stopped being emotionally invested in all of it. That sounds ironic now that the fight is finally a “go,” but it is what it is.
Of course the WBA, being the WBA, is throwing a belt into the mix for exactly zero legitimate reason whatsoever. Expect more prominent and/or near-prominent organizations to do the same. Money makes the world go round, and that’s particularly true when it comes to the sport of boxing. People are going to jump on the bandwagon that is this fight. Fury may be 38 and Joshua 36. Each man has seen better days in the ring. It doesn’t matter. This pairing is nothing if not flashy.. and it will no doubt be a success.
And well it should be. I’m no longer keenly interested in this fight but as I indicated I will be intrigued the closer it gets. I just don’t think it’s as big a fight as I’m supposed to believe it is. And I think that’s true of a lot of people. It’s good that these two guys are finally facing off. It’s way too bad however that they didn’t do so sooner. That’s modern boxing for you.
May the best man win… and may the fans be satisfied with the action in the ring.
