Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is a ’50/50′ pick ’em as Gypsy King’s retirement dismissed
Tyson Fury announced his retirement from boxing in January, but many are still holding out hope that the Gypsy King will return to the ring to face Anthony Joshua
English boxing icons George Groves and Ricky Hatton agree that Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is a pick ’em fight.
After Fury announced his fifth retirement from boxing in January, the chances of a fight materializing seemed bleak. Yet, given his history of walking away from the sport and later returning, fans remain skeptical about his decision to call it quits.
While former British champion Carl Froch recently dubbed the fight a “total mismatch” in Fury’s favor should a bout come to fruition, former WBA super-lightweight champion Groves doesn’t see it the same way. Speaking to Express.co.uk via Lottoland, boxing betting, Groves said: “Joshua’s last loss to Daniel Dubois was pretty devastating.
“Dubois got it right that night, he jumped on Joshua, who probably wanted to ease into the fight. He wasn’t able to, and he got knocked out badly, on the biggest stage, at the tail end of his career. That’s serious mileage.
“But Fury’s also had back-to-back losses, maybe three if you include the [Francis] Ngannou fight, which didn’t impress. He was lucky to get the decision. Then he lost twice to [Oleksandr] Usyk.
“That’s probably just as mentally draining as Joshua’s loss to Dubois. I think it’s a pick ’em fight. Fury’s heavier, more agile, better boxing IQ, faster hands. Joshua is still a great athlete, punches ridiculously hard, and has loads of big-fight experience. It comes down to who performs on the night, who wants it more, who’s got the most left. I disagree with Froch – I don’t think it’s a walkover.”
Former light-welterweight champion Hatton, meanwhile, shared a similar stance in conversation with Vegas Insider. He said: “It’s a tough one, I think it’s 50/50, I wouldn’t say either would be the favourite.
“AJ, the way he was in the corner even before he was knocked out, was a little bit casual, and I think he took Daniel Dubois lightly. He was that convinced before the fight, going into the fight, and even during the fight.
“He’s very laid back so maybe I am giving him a bit of a disservice, but he did look like he thought he was the better man and just needed to turn up to beat Daniel…I know he is a laid-back type but I think he took his eye off the ball with Daniel and you can’t do something like that with Daniel.”
After a contentious split-decision victory over Francis Ngannou in 2023, Fury experienced consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. These were the first two defeats of his professional career and also cost him the opportunity to achieve undisputed heavyweight glory.
With the WBC, WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles at stake, Fury narrowly lost to the undefeated Ukrainian via split-decision in May 2024. Then, just four days before Christmas, Usyk confirmed his superiority with a unanimous decision win over the Gypsy King in an immediate rematch.
At the start of the new year, Fury announced his retirement from boxing on social media. However, Groves isn’t convinced that the 36-year-old is truly done with the sport. He added: “He’s retired five times now, so we know retirement means nothing.
“There are benefits to retiring. You don’t have to live like an athlete anymore or adhere to British Boxing Board of Control requirements. He’s got no belt to be stripped, and if he comes out of retirement, as he’s done before, it might add value and excitement to the fight.
“I’m almost certain he’ll fight Anthony Joshua once Joshua recovers from injury or elbow surgery. That’ll probably be later this year, likely in Saudi Arabia. They’re both prize fighters.
“They’ve both been boxing their entire lives. They’ve earned enough and achieved plenty, but they won’t leave the table while there’s still something left for them. They’ll fight each other – and I’d like to see it.”
