OVERCOOKED AND OUT OF TIME
CAN FURY VS. JOSHUA DELIVER?
formidable champion. What transpired was one of the most mesmerizing and dramatic collisions in sports history. Leonard used slick footwork, end-of-round flurries and psychological trickery early while Hagler charged forward with brutal intent down the stretch. The split decision victory for Leonard remains a subject of heated debate to this day. In this case, the narrative that had developed made the eventual clash more compelling. It was a fight that didn’t age; it matured.
why an impending duel might be even more unmissable. Is Fury vs. Joshua today an overcooked catastrophe like Lewis-Tyson and Mayweather- Pacquiao, or can it recapture the magic of Hagler-Leonard? For me, the reality lies somewhere in between, but closer to the edge of danger. We are looking at two battle- tested, decorated veterans who have felt the harsh reality of defeat and the physical toll of high-level ring combat.
So, back to our present dilemma: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. It is no longer about world titles, and in many ways, like the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, it is “the championship of each other.” Indeed, it really ought to be the trilogy moment by now. We saw them come close in 2021 and then again in 2022, but it has been sideways since then.
Yet to write off Fury vs. Joshua as irrelevant would be to fundamentally misunderstand the unique cultural muscle of British boxing. Unlike Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, which relied heavily on pure athletic speed and perfection, Fury vs. Joshua has always been an emotional, ideological clash. An end of an era, a chance for a divided Britain to cease debate. For the U.K., Fury vs. Joshua is about pride, redemption and domestic supremacy. Their legacies will ultimately be defined by how they fare against one another. If Fury and Joshua finally ring the bell, it will be a fight born of necessity (and huge purses) rather than perfect timing. It may prove to be, or at least we hope it will be, a thrilling, dramatic brawl born out of vulnerability, where defense takes a back seat to pride. Or it may serve as a sobering
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson I (1996)
The heavyweight showdown was originally scheduled for November 1991. Tyson was the terrifying knockout artist; Holyfield was the disciplined cruiserweight king who had stepped up to claim the heavyweight crown. A rib injury for Tyson, followed by his conviction and imprisonment in 1992, shelved the fight for five years.
Jones was 3-3 in his last six outings when he faced Calzaghe.
Having been at all their fights during this period, it was as compelling a matchup as I can ever remember. We even colluded as journalists at the time to press both in roundtable interviews – and particularly Mayweather – to answer questions as to why the fight was not happening. It became tiresome. Negotiations collapsed over Olympic-style drug testing protocols, purse splits and promotional animosity between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. For several excruciating years, the fight hung over the sport like an unresolved mystery. When they finally met at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in May 2015, the fight shattered every financial record in combat sports history. It was the highest grossing fight in history at $600 million, broke gate records and set a new pay-per-view mark at 4.4 million buys. We loved the Las Vegas buildup. I can recall the Telegraph tallying a record-breaking 40 million views of the coverage online. But what we witnessed ringside that night between a 38-year-old Mayweather and a 36-year-old Pacquiao was 12 rounds
Alvarez later), was just too smart, too slick, too accomplished. SUPERFIGHT WINNERS Happily, there have been superfights that were not destroyed by a delay, but rather were seasoned into iconic events. They were past the peak window yet gave us nights and drama we shall never forget. Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard (1987) When Marvelous Marvin Hagler ruled the middleweight division in the early 1980s, a victory over Sugar Ray Leonard was the one he coveted most. But Leonard’s unexpected retirement in 1982 due to a detached retina seemed to kill the prospect of a fight forever. As Hagler’s reign of terrifying dominance continued, Leonard sat ringside as a commentator, nursing his desire for one final, glorious night. When the fight finally happened at the Caesars Palace Outdoor Arena in April 1987, after a three-year layoff and only one bout in the previous five years, many experts feared for Leonard’s safety. He was listed as a massive underdog against the
of tactical, low-action and ultimately underwhelming fare for the millions who had paid an exorbitant price tag.
By November 1996, the consensus was that the delay had ruined Holyfield’s chances. He’d gone 1-2 against Riddick Bowe, had a heart scare and looked faded against Bobby Czyz. Tyson, meanwhile, had re-emerged from prison to reclaim the WBA and WBC belts with devastating early- round knockouts. Holyfield was viewed by many bookmakers as a walking target. But on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand, Holyfield stood his ground, absorbed Tyson’s early artillery, countered with ferocious right hands and bullied the bully. His 11th-round stoppage victory over Tyson was named Ring Magazine’s Fight and Upset of the Year. The five-year wait upgraded a compelling title defense to a redemptive miracle that rewrote heavyweight history. And next, of course, was the infamous “Bite Fight” rematch.
Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence (2023)
In recent times, we had similar delays with Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., a much-debated fight between the top two welterweights in a phalanx of phenomenal fighters in the division (Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, et al.). It was a matchup we talked about … and talked about … for years. They were arguably surrounded by the richest talent the sport had seen for some time, and around 2019, they were both at their welterweight best. Personally, I always felt that Crawford would have had Spence’s number. Yet by the time they met, in 2023, Spence had been through a severe car crash that affected his prime years, and Crawford (as he also proved against Canelo
For some time, Fury vs. Joshua could have been for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. That dream, at least in its pristine form, was shattered by the slick footwork and ring intelligence of Oleksandr Usyk. The belts have since dispersed to different parts of the world, but the grudge remains strictly British. So, this is two former unified titleholders past the midpoint of their 30s, both with recent performances suggesting significant decline, and yet, paradoxically, these flaws are precisely
reminder of what could have been, had the fight taken place five years earlier. Either way, make no mistake: Boxing fans and U.K. sports fans will still be tuning in by the millions. That is because when it comes to the sweet science, even a spoiled feast is something we cannot resist tasting and savoring, if only to see who is left standing when the smoke finally clears.
Gareth A Davies is the Boxing Correspondent for The London Telegraph and Talksport.
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