The long-awaited fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua seems to be dead in the water with athletes not capable of finding a compromise. Fury wants the fight on December 3 while Anthony insists on December 17. Tyson Fury has been vocal about delays from Anthony’s legal counselors who did not want to move an inch and did not allow the boxer to sign up the contract. With the Monday deadline being missed, the match will unlikely happen with just two months left before the date specified by Tyson.
The team wants more prep time
It seems that Anthony’s team worries about the physical condition of the fighter and wants a couple more weeks to get him in shape. The December 17 date seems reasonable, but Fury has his reasons to demand the bout on an earlier day. If two athletes won’t find a solution, both will need to search for alternative matchups. Tyson Fury already has an opponent in Manuel Charr.
Anthony has several options, but Joe Joyce looks like the best choice. He is ready to fight on December 17 and demonstrated that he is in good shape. Joyce’s team said that it would be easy to set up a match between him and Anthony if the latter needs a challenge on December 17. Joyce also said on Twitter that December 3 is just not an optimal date for him, but December 17 sounds good.
Joe Joyce is a very formidable opponent who looks for an easy fight to postpone any real challenge for his WBO title. For Joshua Anthony, this fight is a very big risk considering that he lost his last two fights and does not look as strong as required for a match against an undefeated champion. Joyce is a very tough opponent who may dismantle any spirit left in Anthony after suffering two losses.
Joshua should be careful
Selecting a good opponent is very important at this moment in Anthony’s career. It is one of the reasons why his team insisted on delaying the bout between him and Fury. There are more options for the boxer to choose from. Taking a challenge from Joyce seems to be an unnecessary risk.
