BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
Hughie Fury might be upping the stakes for a clash down the line with Britain’s golden boy, Anthony Joshua, as he prepares for his stiffest test to date against dangerous Andriy Rudenko in Monte Carlo on the 21st of this month. Hughie Fury,(14 -0 (8KO’S) who is cousin to well known loud mouth, Tyson Fury, has implicitly undermined Joshua’s professional achievement to date by claiming the 2012 gold medallist he has been comfortable at a certain level and is still yet to be tested . Fury said ”we are winning comfortably at a certain level, but we are still yet to see him tested in order to prove just how good we are
I am going to get that test on February 21, and I think he needs to do the same. For now, it is a waiting game. Unlike Joshua’s opponents, Ridenko is still ambitious, and will have plans of his own. He will try and win, he won’t just expect to lose”.
Interestingly, there has been much talk amongst boxing fans to see Joshua face Tyson Fury- who is Hughie’s cousin- sooner rather than later, but with the latter chasing for a clash with Wladimir Klitschko, it does not seem likely to expect the two giants to meet this year under any circumstances. Fury meets highly ranked Christian Hammer at the end of this month, after which he is likely to chase a world title against Wladimir Klitschko. British fans have in general not warmed up to Tyson Fury because of his outlandish claims of greatness, much of which is without substance or evidential basis. The huge unbeaten gypsy fighter has ability, but has not really faced anyone of comparable ability. Hammer, who at 6ft 2 inches gives away seven inches in height, will not provide an adequate test for Tyson Fury either.
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However, It seems his younger cousin who wants to test himself, may be stirring the pot for a showdown with Anthony Joshua for big bucks. Joshua has aroused the interest of even casual fans since his foray into the heavyweight division because of his notable humility and perfect knockout record, albeit, against moderate opposition. It is fair to say that most professional boxers are spoon fed in the first ten fights of their career- some even longer. However, amiable Joshua has not faced the sort of bums that many heavyweight prospects have feasted on during their years of apprenticeship as professionals. Joshua has done well so far, and indeed aims to test himself on April 25 against durable Kevin Johnson ( 36 -6)who has never been stopped despite mixing in good company that include Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury, and Derek Chisora. It will surely speak volumes if Joshua turns out to be the first boxer to stop Johnson in his tracks, and it may well be that a fight with Hughie Fury is orchestrated sometime this year. Much will depend on the inclinations of his promoter Eddie Hearn who has already expressly declared an interest to match his man against Britain’s best heavyweights this year, including David Price and David Haye.
Some of this rhetoric which is surely music to the ears of boxing fans, might just be hype. It would seem imprudent for Hearn to match Joshua with a quick and explosive fighter like David Haye, despite his two year inactivity stemming from a shoulder injury two years ago, which the former cruiserweight champion on WBA heavyweight champion now says has fully recovered. More conceivable is a clash with hugely built and powerful David Price, who at 6ft 8inches with full muscles, would pose a risk for Joshua anytime this year. However, with Hearn’s confident declarations for his man, it may just be that Hughie Fury is presented to Joshua as a preparatory test for the stronger fighters down the line. Hughie’s trainer and father, Peter Fury has praised Joshua’s development to date but cautioned that Joshua has been facing ‘static’ opponents, and it would be interesting to see how he fares against opponents who move their heads and fights back. Oooh! Sounds like Peter Fury is suggesting that his son might be the man- we may just have to wait and see.
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