Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua blockbuster MUST happen… and it MUST happen on home soil

THE possibility has intrigued us for four years now.

Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury. Two British world heavyweight champions with contrasting styles and wildly differing public images.

Tyson Fury produced a brutal TKO of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on Saturday nightCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Tyson Fury could now face Anthony Joshua after beating WilderCredit: Reuters

Now the match-up looks more likely than ever — although, boxing being boxing, nothing is certain.

But the duo’s respective managers, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, have both been talking up the prospect of a face-off for the undisputed title since Fury’s phenomenal demolition of Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title in Las Vegas at the weekend.

Warren describes the potential clash as the biggest British sporting event since England won the 1966 World Cup — and there wasn’t much of the usual boxing promoter’s overblown claptrap about that.

The 2012 London Olympics were bigger but, for a one-off event, Joshua-Fury would take some beating. So if it does happen, British fight fans should  save up for a big night out at Wembley,  celebrating the nation’s ownership of the heavyweight division, right?

Those who packed out Wembley and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for four consecutive Joshua fights deserve as much, surely?

And the many Brits who travelled to Las Vegas and dominated the audience for Fury’s magnificent display, deserve it too, yes?

You’d better not believe it. Joshua’s man Hearn has already accepted a lorry load of Saudi riyals for Joshua’s rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in December.

And Warren brazenly insists the fight would take place wherever the two men — and their promoters — can now earn the most.

So it seems unless another oil-rich nation gazumps them, the Saudis will win out again.

Still it’s only a six-hour flight to Riyadh. Perhaps you’d like to go for a lads’ weekend?

You certainly wouldn’t want a lasses’ weekend there, given that single women aren’t even allowed to eat together in Saudi restaurants.

Which is the least of their worries in a nation which still subjugates them, among other major human-rights issues.

The boys on tour could eat out, although in a separate room from any families.

It’s just that Saudi is dry of alcohol and the capital, Riyadh, is one of the dullest cities on Earth.

Joshua-Fury should never be staged there. Neither should it be in Vegas, where the British pay-per-view millions would have to set alarms for 5am again rather than enjoying a sociable night in or out.

This one simply shouldn’t be staged anywhere but Britain.

The British, the English in particular, make a lot of bold boasts about the nation’s uniqueness these days.

Yet when it comes to turning out to watch sport with great passion, we truly are world leaders.

So will Joshua and Fury really get it on? The dream scenario, for us impatient types, is that a battered Wilder does not invoke his rematch clause with Fury.

Nobody wants to see that one again just yet. Fury’s win was too comprehensive and is too fresh in the memory.

Then, it must be hoped that Joshua scraps his planned defence against  Kubrat Pulev — bunging the Bulgarian some step-aside money — and instead faces Fury on June 20 at Tottenham,  with Wembley a non-runner because of Euro 2020.

Anthony Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia… and any fight against Fury could be there tooCredit: Getty Images – Getty

More likely, the two champions will clash later this year or next in the Middle East.

If it happens, the weekend’s events dictate that Fury would be clear favourite.

Having shown himself capable of defeating a world-class fighter with all-out attack, as well as classical defence, Fury is now the undoubted No 1 heavyweight on the planet.

Since early 2016, when Joshua won his first world title — just months after Fury dethroned the great Wladimir Klitschko — nobody had been quite so sure.

What we had assumed was that a Joshua-Fury contest would have been billed as good against evil.

Joshua was British boxing’s golden child, Fury its turbulent villain.

As Warren conceded at the weekend, British boxing still owes much to the extraordinary pulling power of Joshua.

Yet the former Olympic champion’s sheen has been dulled by his original defeat by Ruiz and the decision to stage the rematch in Saudi. Meanwhile, Fury’s popularity has soared.  He’s an eccentric, charismatic showman with an inspiring redemption story after recovering from depression, drug addiction and obesity.

Let’s not get carried away by handing Fury the old Vic Reeves title of “Britain’s top light entertainer and singer”.

At a time when rugby league is in turmoil over the decision of Catalans Dragons to hire Aussie Israel Folau — who spouted homophobic bile under the guise of Christianity — we should not forget that Fury has said much  the same.

He’s shut up about the issue recently, as part of the excellent PR job Warren has done with him, but he has not been repentant on the issue.

So while your head — and wallet — almost certainly say Fury, where would your heart be? Joshua-Fury would be complex and compelling.

So let’s hope they finally get it on. And on home soil, where this box-office blockbuster belongs.

Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk