Tyson Fury’s Condition Stirs Hope For Joshua Bout

A slimmed-down, older-looking photo of Tyson Fury was posted online today with him standing next to his dad inside the ring. Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), looking trim, suggests that he’s getting in shape for what promoter Eddie Hearn calls ‘The Battle of Britain’ fight against Anthony Joshua next. Fury turns 37 in August, and he’s looked so washed in his last three fights against Oleksandr Usyk [x 2] and Francis Ngannou that he almost has to take the fight with AJ now if he wants to get that gigantic payday while it’s still available.

If Fury fights any of the contenders in the top 15, he’s likely to lose. He can’t be trusted even against low-level contenders because he’s too slow and weak. Joshua’s fragile chin problems make him too vulnerable to be counted on to defeat contenders. Unless Hearn very carefully matches him, he’ll fall apart again. We don’t know how much the 35-year-old Joshua’s recent fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September took out of him.

What’s His Worth Now?

Fury is obviously counting on the Saudis wanting to be involved in his fight against Joshua, because that’s the only way he can get a $100 million payday out of the fight. Without the Saudis involvement, ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury’s take would be limited to around $35 million. That might not be enough to lure him into the ring for a fight with Joshua, because he’d be indignant that he’s only getting that dough instead of the kind of mega-millions he made for his two fights against Usyk. I hate to say it, but Fury has become spoiled with the giant paydays the Saudis gave him for his last two under-performing performances against Usyk. He’s definitely not worth anywhere near the same kind of loot that he was paid for those matches, even against AJ in the ‘Battle of Britain.” Tyson has a second-hand, shop-worn look to him now. He’s nowhere near elite, deserving of a $100 million payday against the equally shot Joshua. Unless the Saudis want to give Fury that kind of money for old times sake, he should be getting a lot less.

Entertainment-wise, Fury is fighting at the level of a fighter earning $10 thousand. He’s looked awful in his last three fights. His last decent performance was three years ago against British journeyman Dillian Whyte in 2022. Even in that fight, Fury had a lazy look to him, mauling Dillian, hitting him with slow, clubbing punches, and shoving. It was as if gravity was pulling Fury down, making it hard for him to move with any agility. Sadly, that’s Tyson’s best performance since his trilogy clash against Deontay Wilder in 2021.