By Gabriel Princewill-
A rolex offer which inspired Anthony Joshua to give WBC champion, Tyson Fury a hiding when the undisputed heavyweight champion was still an amateur,has sparked a debate among boxing aficionados.
Joshua, who defended his IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles when knocking out Kubrat Pulev this month, recently emphasised the role his local boxing gym in Finchley had on saving him from a troubled path which could have ended him in jail. The undisputed world heavyweight champion alsomade reference to a 2010 sparring session between him and Fury at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club.
“ He knows about my uppercut. He knew about it from when I was [20]. Trust me, he knows what’s coming, Joshua bullishly said. All I wanted was his Rolex watch [because] he said before that spar: ‘If you can beat me up or knock me out, you can have my Rolex.’ It was a good spar and I didn’t really know too much. It was just passion. Now I have some boxing IQ to go with my passion, it will be a great fight.”
Joshua’s comments follows a video unearthed by the BBC of the 22-year-old now gypsy king after that sparring session. Fury, who had made his pro debut in December 2008, said in that interview: “Anthony Joshua’s red hot. He gave me a big uppercut [and] if I had a bit of a weak chin I’d have been knocked out for a month. I rate myself as one of the top heavyweights in the world but for three rounds he gave me a beating. I thought: ‘Oh my God, an amateur’s killing me!’”
Hungry
Joshua insisted that: “I was hungry then and I’m even hungrier now. There was a Rolex [on offer then] but now there is an even bigger pot of gold at the end of this rainbow and I want to take his head off his shoulders when that fight happens. I’m sure that I’ll win.”
Boxing writer, Shaun Murphy, told The Eye Of Media.Com: ”I think Anthony Joshua will knock out Tyson Fury. Joshua carries a lot of power and has gathered a lot more momentum than Tyson Fury.
He is very athletic, and history shows that the champion who has reigned longer usually rises to the occasion of big fights more.
Wilder obviously fell short for the rematch, but is not as good a boxer as Anthony Joshua, and he may have been deceived by the fact he knocked Fury down twice the first time. He overlooked the fact Fury was fighting to the instructions of his trainer Ben Davison in that fight, and was under a more experienced trainer for the rematch.
Joshua has a more polished and consistent team, and will be use his athletic blessing more with his power”.
Danny Benn, brother of former world champion, Nigel Benn, disagrees. ”I like Joshua’s power and athletic build, but I think Fury is better all round. He is more mobile with more skills and enough strength. Sparring is not a real fight, people works on different things in sparring. Fury holds things back in sparring
When Fury goes on the offensive, he is a problem for any heavyweight because of the mix of his unorthodox skills and potential aggression. It will be a good fight, but at the moment there is more reason to go for Fury. I know we all want to see the fight now, but I think Joshua still needs a bit more experience to have his best chance against Fury. Fury will have him now, trust me, i know my boxing”.
Power
Fury power is tremendous, and he reminds me a bit of Frank Bruno back in the day, except than Frank had a better jab than Joshua. Don’t get me wrong, Joshua Jab is improving, but it needs to be used with more confidence and explosive power,
Serious
Meanwhile Joshua insisted he is serious about the unification showdown. He said; “How close are we? I promise you conversations are happening,” said Joshua. “But until you hear it from me, don’t buy into anything. I’m serious about the fight so when I announce it you’ll know it’s real.”
Grass Roots Boxing
Joshua made some salient points about the crisis facing grassroots boxing and his sizeable donation comes at a crucial point for the amateur sport. “I definitely think boxing gyms will go under,” Joshua said. “That’s why it’s important to keep talking about it. Professional boxing has found a way to survive but without the amateur system, the grassroots clubs, there are no Olympians and without them there are no world champions in the country.
Biggest Sporting Event
“If me and Tyson Fury fight, which I’m sure is going to happen, it’s going to be one of the biggest sporting events in this country since the [1966] World Cup. I’m in the grassroots gym which made me and it’s struggling. Hopefully this will raise the eyebrows of people in power and they will put some money towards boxing.”
WBC Champion: Tyson Fury: Image: essentialsports.com
Grassroots boxing
On grassroots boxing, Joshua said: “They’ve done great things with the package for people who are working, with furlough, and even putting money into sport. But there are other sports that need it. I know the importance of boxing in the community, for the nation and for the economy. We’re trying to bring awareness and say: ‘Guys, you’re doing a great job but just consider boxing next time.
I’m sure there will be some private investors, people like myself, who are going to make a difference.
“Grassroots sports changes the lives of many people. So let’s also keep boxing in mind for the future – because me and Tyson Fury in 2021 is massive. We’ve done this from the grassroots, from next to nothing. So with a little help who knows how far we can go as a boxing industry?”