Fight Talk: Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte & Oleksandr Usyk
- Published
In this week’s Fight Talk we look at world champion Anthony Joshua calling out three of the top heavyweights in the division, find out which fights Eddie Hearn is planning for boxing's return, and discuss 55-year-old John Fury's plans to face a former bodybuilding champion.
Joshua's hit list: Tyson Fury
The country might be on lockdown but there is still plenty to talk about in the world of boxing.
One man who has been quite vocal during this downtime is unified heavyweight champion Joshua. He has welcomed a fight with, well, pretty much all the big boys of the division.
The Briton is scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev, who is mandatory for the IBF belt, but the original June date has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Joshua told the Sports Illustrated Boxing with Chris Mannix podcast, external that a history-making, undisputed, all-British fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury is top of his wish list.
"Pulev isn’t on my level - I'm walking through him. I want the boys at the top. I'm looking at Fury like I'm going to walk through him as well," Joshua said.
A new date for the Pulev bout is yet to be confirmed, but is Joshua overlooking the Bulgarian? A lot of boxing fans think so…
But Benny Boy here has confidence in his man. He makes it all sound so easy…
'Whyte? Usyk? Line them all up'
Later in the week, Joshua turned his attention to former foe and compatriot Dillian Whyte, telling Sky Sports Boxing:, external "Once I've beaten Fury, Whyte can come and get this work as well."
The bitter rivals fought in 2015, when Joshua won by seventh-round stoppage.
Whyte has since gone on to beat some top-level contenders in the division to become the number one challenger for Fury’s WBC belt, and is deserving of a crack at a world title.
But what if the fights with Fury and Whyte don't come to fruition? Well, Joshua said he would happily take on Ukraine's former cruiserweight king and WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk.
"Line them all up," he said.
You'd fully expect the heavyweight champion of the world to call out the best, right? But even though some fans like Joshua’s confidence, others don’t…
But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
When the sport returns, Fury has signed to a rematch with American Deontay Wilder, Whyte faces Russian Alexander Povetkin and Usyk is set to take on Briton Dereck Chisora.
Hearn teases big fights
Not even a lockdown can stop Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn from keeping boxing fans entertained.
He has been hosting regular Instagram lives, inviting his boxers to come on and talk about rumoured bouts.
Here are some of the best from Friday’s interviews with his British fighters.
Firstly, former welterweight champion Kell Brook, perched proudly in front of a display of his boxing gold, gave us his thoughts on a scrap with American pound-for-pound star and WBO champion Terence Crawford…
Former word title challenger Kid Galahad opted for a more relaxed approach as he made a bold prediction should he be offered a rematch against unbeaten IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington…
Lightweight Luke Campbell had some words of warning for American rival Devin Haney, who is being tipped by many as a future star…
And super-bantamweight Shannon Courtenay gave some sound advice on how to cope during isolation…
John Fury responds to bodybuilder's challenge
In one of the more unexpected stories this month, Tyson Fury's father John accepted the challenge to fight former bodybuilding champion Micky Theo. Both men are in their 50s.
Fury told IFL TV:, external “He called me out and I was quite surprised really.
"I just love fighting. I just love it. Nothing against this chap, but if we can put a good show on, and get a lot of money for charity, and show people we're not finished in our mid-50s, it'll be a good thing, won't it?"
Another of his sons, former Love Island contestant and professional boxer Tommy Fury, shared his views on Theo’s call-out…
- Published29 November 2021
