Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury: Nostalgia Act or A Real Fight?

Although there were a ton of fights this past weekend, all eyes were on Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who were in separate bouts. Fury fought in a bout only seen by those in attendance, and Joshua almost got Ruiz’d again but bounced back to score a second-round knockout. Given the limited online clips of the Fury fight and Joshua’s near-disaster, will their expected fight toward the end of the year be a nostalgia act or a real fight?

A Lighter Tyson Fury Didn’t Necessarily Mean A Better One

When Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) hit the scales on Friday in Thailand, he weighed in at 264 ½ pounds, the lightest he’s weighed since the second Oleksandr Usyk fight in May 2024, which he lost by unanimous decision. Fury came in at 262 pounds for that fight to be lighter on his feet, but he almost found himself staring up at the lights if it wasn’t for a very generous referee who didn’t stop the fight.

Seeing Fury at a lighter weight on Friday had fans and media alike thinking he was in good shape for Mariusz Wach and would get rid of the 46-year-old heavyweight rather quickly. Instead, Fury went seven rounds with Wach, and from the clips that surfaced online, he appeared much slower than he has looked in the past, though the available footage was limited. Although this was the second fight of the year for Fury, instead of looking sharper, he appeared a little dull or just not interested.

With all the talk about a Joshua fight, are we supposed to believe he will fight a third time this year, the first since 2018? This has all the ingredients of a fight that will be announced and then delayed until next year, citing an injury of sorts.

Was Anthony Joshua’s Return To The Ring Too Soon?

When Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) walked down the aisle and into the ring, the expression on his face seemed to be that of a man still unsure whether he wanted to be in the ring. Who knows what his anxiety levels were at that moment, but once he met Kristian Prenga in the middle of the ring, it was too late. He had to go through it.

You may think this is an overreaction, but Joshua getting clipped by a Prenga uppercut less than 20 seconds into the fight and going down to the canvas will say otherwise. After that knockdown, he looked into the crowd as if he were looking for someone to agree that he wasn’t hurt, even though he was. Maybe he was looking for those two familiar faces that are no longer in his life after the accident in December? Of course, this is all speculation, but when words and actions meet, it’s almost hard to ignore.

Joshua would come right back and close the show in dominant fashion, but he was overly chatty, making those watching wonder if he was using that to mask the real pain he was enduring inside. Regardless, Joshua got the win, but if it were any other top heavyweight in there, he likely wouldn’t make it out of the first round.

Will Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury Be Another Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran III?

The fight between Joshua and Fury was supposed to happen so many times over the years that I lost count. It took Turki Alalshikh entering the sport and injecting millions of dollars into boxing to finally get the fights fans want to see. This includes Joshua vs Fury, but both fighters have gone through adversity over the years, making their potential end-of-year matchup less anticipated than it once was.

Let’s start with Fury. The legendary George Foreman told me over the phone a few years ago that after the knockdowns Fury suffered against Deontay Wilder in their first fight, he would never be the same again. That statement proved true as he suffered more hard knockdowns against Wilder in their subsequent fights and against Oleksandr Usyk. At 37, it’s safe to say the best of Fury has come and gone, which lessens the value of a Joshua fight.

Then we have Joshua, who never seemed the same after the devastating loss to Andy Ruiz in their 2019 fight. Joshua would win the rematch and beat Kubrat Pulev afterward, but then lose two straight to Usyk. After winning four consecutive fights against lesser opposition, he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois. Then he fought the inexperienced Jake Paul and Prenga. Joshua isn’t that much younger than Fury at 36, but like the Gypsy King, has suffered some hard knockouts that have taken pieces off him he can never get back.

If Joshua vs Fury gets made, it may resemble the December 1989 third fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. It took place nine years after the famous ‘No Mas’ fight. That night, the two legends from the 70s and early 80s were past their primes, and their fight was more of a nostalgia act than it would have been shortly after their 1980 rematch. Their reflexes were dramatically slower, and they were battle-worn from their long careers.

That is what Joshua and Fury have all the ingredients for if they finally meet in the ring. But just like Leonard-Duran III, the fans won’t care, as they will hold onto hope that it delivers something that will satisfy them. In all reality, it likely won’t, but at least the buildup will be somewhat entertaining. That’s only if Joshua decides to engage and not become mute all of a sudden.

So, will Joshua vs. Fury be a nostalgia act or a real fight? I think it’s more of a nostalgia act, with the hope that they deliver some theatrics to make it worth the wait for fans watching in attendance or live on DAZN PPV.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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