Sit back and enjoy the guaranteed craziness involved in the run to a big bout between two of the sport?s most offensive shit talkers?
Blame Deontay Wilder or blame Anthony Joshua, but the fact of the matter is that the Wilder-Joshua title unification talks were so mucked up that it may be hard to revisit the effort, even when the dust settles, tempers calm, and big money fight options dry up for both big men.
But no matter who was more responsible for dropping the ball in negotiations, Joshua, as the three-belt champ with all the money and all the options, will probably bear the brunt of much of the criticism in the long run (at least outside of his home UK base).
So, that creates the perfect opening for Wilder to jab at the Brit from way outside and score some public relations points.
And what better way to do that than by upstaging Joshua-Povetkin with a sure-fire headline-grabbing event?against the lineal heavyweight champ and the other ?must-fight? opponent Joshua ISN?T fighting, Tyson Fury?
Rumors are rampant that this, exactly, is Team Wilder? s plan and that the WBC heavyweight champ will even be ringside this Saturday in Belfast, when Fury takes on Francesco Pianeta in the comeback-minded Irishman?s second bout back after more than two-and-a-half years of inactivity.
If Wilder-Fury is something real, expect some fireworks between the two giants following this Saturday?s contest. Then sit back and enjoy the guaranteed craziness involved in the run to a big heavyweight bout between two of the sport?s most offensive shit talkers. Anthony Joshua may be able to draw more than either fighter, but Wilder-Fury will easily upstage Joshua-Povetkin?and that will be the fighters? perfect revenge against an ?AJ? both perceive as an increasingly spoiled prima donna.
Give credit to Fury for being the sparkplug when it comes to igniting the Wilder-Fury engine.
Shortly after promoter Eddie Hearn announced that he was moving on to an Alexander Povetkin bout for Joshua, Fury, calling himself the ?original, real, world heavyweight champion,? took to social media to say this:
?Deontay Wilder, I?ll apologize on behalf of Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua for stringing you along?Basically, I?ll apologize because they?re from the same country as I am?They won?t fight you?They took three months, stringing the fans along with no intention of fighting?I?ll fight you in three seconds, never mind three minutes?get your boss Al Haymon to send me a contract and I?ll show you how long it takes to sign it?wallup?ten seconds, done?signed, sealed, delivered, photograph taken, uploaded on Instagram?You want to fight the best this country?s ever had, knock on my door and see if the Gypsy King doesn?t answer?Bomb, the ball?s in your court.?
Taking Fury up on his offer should?ve been a no-brainer for Wilder.
Not only is there a chance to make some big money with the always-controversial Fury and cast some shade on Joshua, but this is also a very winnable fight against a Fury who may not be coming into the fight in his best physical or mental condition. Becoming lineal champ will give Wilder a bragging point Joshua can?t claim as he will, in many eyes, be the mythical ?man who beat the man? in a lineage going back to boxing?s earliest days.
For Fury, a win over the heavy-handed American will not only net him the WBC belt, but also score him the PR victory of having beaten the man many say is being avoided by Joshua. Even pursuing the challenge is winning Fury much-needed credibility points after a very public implosion three years ago.
Anyway you cut it, though, it?ll look really bad for Joshua if the two men he SHOULD be fighting have to resort to fighting one another while he deals in secondary challenges. And it?ll look even worse if the big dog of the heavyweight division is overshadowed by fighters who should be beneath him in every regard.
