We are still waiting for that Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua superfight, but there is a chance we get it at last before the end of 2024.
If Fury defeats Oleksandr Usyk in their heavyweight title unification on February 17, and Joshua overcomes Francis Ngannou on March 8, all roads will lead to that massive all-British collision.
The betting for this hypothetical showdown has been a long and winding road, and we now have another big swing in recent months to the stage where this is now a pick ‘em affair.
Fury vs Joshua odds
Back in 2018, as Fury started his incredible comeback from a career hiatus which saw him gain huge weight and suffer serious mental health issues, not surprisingly Joshua was favourite to beat his big domestic rival.
By 2020 though, we had a huge turnaround with Fury completing his epic return to the top of the heavyweight mountain by claiming the WBC title from Deontay Wilder. Joshua meanwhile had suffered his first career defeat, losing his world titles in a huge upset to Andy Ruiz Jr.
The next two years provided yet more dominance from Fury as he destroyed everything put in front of him. AJ meanwhile, after regaining his titles in a Ruiz rematch, lost them once again to Usyk.
At the start of 2023 Fury was a clear favourite to win any match with AJ - at anything from 2/7 right down to 2/9. Joshua meanwhile was available at prices ranging from 9/4 to 3/1.
That wasn’t the end of the story though, and 2023 was a great year for Joshua (now 27-3) as he reeled off three victories - each one more impressive than the last. His December beatdown of Swede Otto Wallin in Riyadh showed he is very much back at heavyweight boxing’s top table.
Fury (34-0-1) meanwhile ended 2023 on a downswing as he struggled to overcome boxing novice Francis Ngannou in their ‘crossover’ fight in Saudi Arabia.
The net result of all this is odds which were unthinkable 12 months ago - Sky Bet now have Fury the slightest of favourites at 8/11 with Joshua an 11/10 chance and the draw 16/1. It’s a virtual coin flip.
Will Fury vs Joshua happen?
These two men have been close to fighting before - twice. They signed a two-fight deal back in 2021, only for Wilder to scupper the grand plan by winning an arbitration ruling to force a trilogy fight vs Fury. Then in late 2022 the pair were again in talks, only for those talks to stall.
This time though it feels different. The massive Saudi investment in boxing means ANY big fight is now eminently possible. Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn are happily now collaborating on major shows, so why not Fury vs Joshua?
Now the biggest hurdles to the fight happening appear to be inside the ropes, rather than any boxing politics. Fury is favourite to beat Usyk in their unification fight, but only just at 8/11. Joshua meanwhile is priced at 1/6 to dispose of Ngannou.
So if you buy into the Saudi plan to match the winners of those two fights next, it’s effectively an Even money chance that we DO finally get the fight everybody craves.
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