*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change
Now we have water-tight rumours that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have signed contracts, and only minor details like a venue, a date and staging a major sporting event during a pandemic are outstanding, we can look ahead to the best bets on the biggest heavyweight bout in 25 years!
Here are three of the best to consider ahead of the heavyweight bout.
Tyson Fury Round Seven
Tyson stopped Deontay Wilder in seven rounds last year and Joshua was TKO’d in Round 7 by Andy Ruiz in 2019 – maybe it’s coincidence, but I think there is more to it than just ‘lucky number seven’ – and there are huge odds in the round betting market.
Fury didn’t actually knock out Wilder in their rematch but he gave the American such a thorough pasting for six-and-a-half sessions that the corner felt they had to throw the towel in. ‘The Gypsy King’ isn’t a one-punch KO artist known for his early wins but he can dismantle a man with barrage-after-barrage of hard, accurate shots.
In recent fights, a customary part of the AJ performance is the ‘mid-contest slump’; as well as the stoppage loss to Ruiz just after the midway point, he was dropped heavily in Round 6 by Wladimir Klitschko, and, in his last fight, Kubrat Pulev even got some joy between being dropped in the third and ninth stanzas.
Back in 2013, former cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham downed Fury in the early going before the big man switched gears and won by KO in the seventh – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the same thing played out against a tiring Joshua.
Tyson Fury to be knocked down and win
For all his slick skills and movement, Fury still takes his fair share of leather. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ sent him to the canvas twice in their first contest, but the Brit was introduced to the mat in 2011 by the lesser-known Neven Pajkic, and he touched down against Cunningham too.
It was February 2020 when Fury was last in the ring and with that level of inactivity, the Wilmslow fighter might not be zoned in to the matrix to quite the same level as he was in the Wilder rematch.
Even the greatest punchers have fights where the referee stepped in to stop the contest or the corner conceded to save their man further damage, but AJ has the incredible record of knocking down 22 out of the 23 opponents he’s faced.
AJ can definitely put Tyson on the seat of his pants but one thing we can be sure of is Fury’s powers of recovery, and I think that is down to his ability to ride shots and take the sting out of them. Fury to win after being knocked down is a hefty price and it has the added bonus that you don’t have to call whether Fury will win on points or by KO.
Anthony Joshua to win on points or decision
If Joshua hurts Fury, Fury may still win, or AJ may finish him off, or there’s a third option that everyone seems to be overlooking – Joshua can win by decision. A knockdown is worth at least one point on the judges cards and a damaged Tyson may need a round or two to shake it off.
‘The Gypsy King’ will be more risk averse in this fight than he was against Wilder – Fury spent 12 rounds reading Wilder in 2018 and he learned that the American is completely ineffective when he’s being pushed back – Fury doesn’t have that read on AJ and the Watford banger has a much better game off the back-foot.
Fury rides shots well, there’s going to be a level of caution, and he can make a fight ugly when he needs to take momentum away from an opponent – in summary, he’s a man who’s very hard to put away.
If Fury isn’t at his absolute best, or if he has actually been guzzling all the ale as he claimed the other day, then you have to give 2012 Olympic champion Joshua a real chance of taking this by decision, and it’s a great price too.
Bonus Power Price – Fury to win by KO/TKO
And if you aren’t happy with any of those bets Paddy has been kind enough to offer us a little boost on Fury to win inside the distance. The giant heavyweight may be talking about other opponents and being back on the booze but it’s just talk – he’s looking in top shape already.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change
Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury bet summary
Tyson Fury Round Seven
Tyson Fury to be knocked down and win
Anthony Joshua to win on points or decision
Bonus Power Price – Fury to win by KO/TKO
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