After this one, Anthony, it just has to be Tyson
ANTHONY JOSHUA has not fought anyone in 2020 but, then again, we have all been pre-occupied with another kind of jab. The undisputed champion of that particular one-two combination was Margaret Keenan, the first person to be given the Pfizer Covid vaccine, with her rematch scheduled for three to four weeks from now. William ‘Vacbeth’ Shakespeare is on the undercard.
Meanwhile, AJ returns to the ring tomorrow against Kubrat Pulev in a fight that has taken a long time to materialise. They were due to lock horns in front of 80,000 people in Cardiff in October 2017. With the roof closed at the Principality, it would have been the largest indoor boxing attendance ever, beating Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks II in 1978. However, the Bulgarian’s shoulder injury scuppered that.
Then it was the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June of this year, which was cancelled for obvious reasons. So, now, it’s on for tomorrow night at Wembley Arena in front of 1,000 lucky punters.
As always, everyone is getting ahead of themselves, and you can understand why. Okay, so a global pandemic doesn’t help but the last time Joshua fought anyone apart from Andy Ruiz Jr it was September 22, 2018. Alexander Povetkin, a lifetime ago.
And in that time, Tyson Fury twice fought Deontay Wilder, with the latter ranking among the most astonishing turnaround performances I’ve ever seen by a British boxer. For crying out loud, Fury even managed to throw in a WWE appearance against Braun Strowman. And beat him!
Joshua, for the time being, has been somewhat left behind. He may hold three belts but Fury is further down the road when it comes to legacy. It feels like the next 12 months need to be the shot in the arm that Joshua and his fans so desperately crave.
For now, Pulev will do. A not overly comfortable return against a manageable, ageing danger. On one hand, he’s only ever lost to Wladimir Klitschko, on the other his best nights were probably against Chisora and Hughie Fury. Always solid, never great.
Pulev is tough and strong, but among the few people backing him to win are his promoter and Chris Eubank, which speaks for itself.
As long as Joshua comes prepared and boxes clever, he’s easily too smart and too quick, and I am sure he will. He is a little bit more of a boxer in the build-up to this fight, and less of the promoter or brand ambassador. He says lockdown
has been a blessing and I expect him to come strong, edgy and hungry. A rebirth, if you like.
And then. And then. And then. It has to be Tyson Fury.
The only thing I want more in 2021 is the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to be rolled out across the UK. Second on my list, it’s this fight.
Eddie Hearn says it will happen, as long as Joshua does not ‘Ruiz it up’ tomorrow, saying: ‘I am as close to 100 per cent as I can be that the Fury fight will happen if AJ wins on Saturday.’
Whether that materialises or not
It’s time for Britain’s big two to bring it. You never know what’s around the corner
depends on the Gypsy King, who may want to slot in a loosener before then, which would mean a mandatory meeting with Oleksandr Usyk. That’s actually a fight I’d really want to see.
After Usyk KOed Tony Bellew, at cruiserweight, Bomber said it was comfortably the hardest he had ever been hit in his career. Put simply, the Ukrainian is an unavoidable and genuine menace for Joshua and Fury.
Either way, it’s time for Britain’s big two to bring it. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today. You never know what’s around the corner.
So, Anthony, Tyson, make 2021 a year to remember for all the right reasons and get the ****ing deal done. If we are all still waiting next Christmas, we should all vow to socially distance from heavyweight boxing altogether.