Tyson Fury believes both he and British rival Anthony Joshua have changed the heavyweight landscape for Britain’s rising prospects; Fury stills eyes a future stadium fight at Old Trafford: “Never say never”; plus Scott Welch considers the pros and cons of Fury vs Ngannou

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua agree on little.

They certainly don’t seem to be about to reach an agreement on fighting each other any time soon. But Fury believes they have both forged a path that other British heavyweights can follow.

“I think we’ve given them a lot to aim for, with me and AJ,” Fury told Sportnow

“We’ve given them a lot of hope that it can be done. Because before I became world champion, Britain had only had maybe six or five world [heavyweight] champions throughout the history of boxing.

“All of a sudden we had a few more of late,” he continued. “A lot of highly ranked world heavyweights. I think we’ve inspired a lot of people and hopefully they can go on and continue to do well in the division.”

But while he acknowledges how capable some of the UK’s rising heavyweights are, he doesn’t see any of them rivalling him or Joshua just yet.

“I think we’ve got a lot of talent. Young David Adeleye, Solomon Dacres, Johnny Fisher, Frazer Clarke, Nathan Gorman, Daniel Dubois,” Fury said. “There’s a lot of red hot talent coming through in this country especially.

“I think there’s a lot of good fights at British level at the moment,” he continued.

“I don’t think they’re anywhere near world level at the moment. They’re only young people so they should be contesting for English titles, maybe the British title. So I’m not sure how far they can go, but they definitely look like good prospects.”

While he is not optimistic that an all-British heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua can be made, Fury still expects to have major contests in the UK, eyeing Old Trafford as a potential venue for a stadium fight.

“I was supposed to fight at Old Trafford last year,” he noted.

“Never say never.”

Fury vs Ngannou: Good for the game?

Tyson Fury will meet former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next in a boxing contest in October.

The decision to pit the current WBC titlist against a debutant in the ring has raised eyebrows and ignited debates within the boxing community.

Speaking on the Toe2Toe podcast former British heavyweight champion Scott Welch took a balanced view. He highlighted Fury’s achievements.

“He went over to America [to box Deontay Wilder] not once, but three times. He went over to Germany [to beat Wladimir Klitschko and become a unified world champion]. He’s done more than any other one even would have dared to. He’s a super champ in my eyes,” Welch stated.

Fury’s international engagements and his remarkable battles with Wilder and Klitschko have undeniably earned him a high standing within the sport.

Welch delved into the concerns over the choice of opponent, although he underscored the rationale behind Fury’s decision.

“[The Derek] Chisora fight, that was his one that he deserved after the big fight, the [Dillian] Whyte fight. After that, he deserved an easy fight,” Welch said.

“Maybe he should have announced that he’s going to do a tour and go around and fight a few people and he’s going to come back when he’s ready. Because I think mentally, he needs a break as well.”

He also noted the broader context of this fight, drawing parallels with other notable instances in the combat sports.

“[Muhammad] Ali did a similar thing [with Antonio Inoki]. There’s just too much talk. There’s been too much talk along the road and maybe it should have just been done a bit differently,” he said.

As for the impact on the boxing landscape, Welch was pragmatic. “Is it good for the game? Not really,” he said.

“As long as he comes back afterwards and quite quickly, then you’re great.”

Fury should return to the ring against more traditional opponents after this and demand to see him against unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk remains.

“So, if we’re going to get this fight done, get it done, get it out of the way, we’re fine with it. We can handle it, take it, get the fight done, get back in the mix afterwards if you’re going to do that,” Welch stated

“Or say, I’m done.”

Over the weekend, the former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out Robert Helinius in round six. Joshua was underwhelming for the majority of the fight leaving fans wondering where that killer instinct was from the Klitschko fight years ago. But the fight ended with a spectacular knockout and now Joshua is already looking forward to the future. Today we will look at three possible fights for Anthony Joshua.

Bear in mind that this is boxing we are talking about and it’s a high probability that Joshua could fight the 37th ranked guy (Canada’s Simon Kean in this case) instead of a really good fight that would blow your socks off.

Deontay Wilder: The One That Got Away

Full steam is ahead on a long rumored bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. The fight dates back to when the two held all of the heavyweight titles in their possession. Now the titles have all changed hands to Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury and Wilder and Joshua are contenders in the division now.

The fight is rumored for January in Saudi Arabia and the Saudis are throwing money at them hand over fist. The estimated amount to be paid out is a staggering $110,000,000. The split for that fight is yet to be determined.

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua ‘very aggressive,’ reveals Jeamie TKV | ‘I want to get my hands on Frazer Clarke’

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says that this is the fight they are working towards now but Joshua says he wants to fight twice before the years out but that doesn’t seem to be the case if the Wilder fight is happening next and it’s in January. Of course there’s time for a tune up fight between now and then.

Don’t Count Out Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury

This is an all-UK match and a fight for the only belt Anthony Joshua couldn’t hold, the WBC Heavyweight Title. That is, of course, held by Tyson Fury. Fury is booked former UFC champion Francis N’Gannou in October but that fight shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Fury. Joshua could easily be booked for a card after the N’Gannou fight but before the fight happens.

This one would do massive numbers and give Joshua a huge payday. But the risk factor, something that has a big part to do with boxers and who they fight next, is very high with Fury, as it is with Wilder. The pay check would have to be in the range of Saudi money like what’s being thrown at him with Wilder.

Of course, fighting this fight in the UK could make up for it. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would be a guaranteed sellout. Put it at Wembley, the biggest stadium in the UK. 90,000 fans would pack themselves in the stadium to see this fight.

JUST IN:Mixed reactions trail Anthony Joshua’s first knockout win in three years

Don’t count on this one. Fury is notoriously hard to deal with and Anthony Joshua may not want the risk.

The Most Likely Option: Zhilei Zhang-Joe Joyce Winner

This option is the most likely of the three because it requires the least work. Joe Joyce was upset by China’s Zhilei Zhang last April. Zhilei knocked out the undefeated Joyce in round six surprising the boxing community with the feat. Joyce had a rematch clause in the contract and has since activated it. The bout is set for September 23rd.

Simply put, the winner of that would be on the table for Joshua. He could have a huge UK homecoming, similar but not quite the magnitude as the Fury fight, should Joyce win. Joyce is also a massive hitter similar to Deontay Wilder. His record is 15-1 with 14 knockouts. This gives Joshua the best of both worlds. He gets to face a UK name in the UK and someone who hits hard.

Zhilei Zhang is the other side of the equation and shouldn’t be counted out. He beats Joyce and a date with Anthony Joshua could be in the cards. Joshua could expand his market to China if he wished but it would be more likely to have that fight in New York or the UK. Zhilei is an older fighter, 40 years of age, and has a 25-1-1 record with the WBO Interim World Heavyweight title.

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua has the blueprint to beat Deontay Wilder – is he brave enough to use it?

The WBO title is held by Oleksandr Usyk and that could get in the way of a fight with Joshua and the Zhilei-Joyce winner. But a fight would bring numbers none the less.

Of course there are other options out there that could happen as well. Expect names like Andy Ruiz, Luis Ortiz, Filip Hrgovic, and Otto Wallin to all be thrown around. With how the politics and business of boxing have a grip, one of these names might come out of left field and surprise all of us.