ANTHONY JOSHUA and Jake Paul’s freak fantasy fight could become a reality if Tyson Fury stays away with the fairies.
The circus-style showdown between the London 2012 Olympic legend and two-time heavyweight king – and the YouTuber who has made a career out of bullying aging MMA welterweights – has been gathering pace and hype after meetings between the teams.
And, while it sounds like a dangerous and unlikely mismatch, Fury’s latest retirement and delay in announcing the overdue AJ duel is making the Watford versus Wonderland farce more and more likely.
SunSport landed in Saudi Arabia on Monday night for the upcoming Moses Itauma versus Dillian Whyte war on Saturday.
And the buzz around the Riyadh show is that 35-year-old Joshua was more likely to sign up for the silly-money cross-over clash than a far more difficult and less financially rewarding traditional scrap.
AJ promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted that his star attraction now has the swansong of his career hinging on a phone call from Fury – who hung up his gloves after back-to-back Oleksandr Usyk decision losses.
But, in trademark fashion, the 37-year-old Gypsy King is toying and teasing with the idea of returning and changing his mind as regularly as his XL designer underwear.
A source close to the AJ empire explained that, after suffering a brutal fifth-round knockout against Daniel Dubois in September, rebuilding against another bonafide 17st wrecking ball was unlikely.
But if the Paul offer is genuine – and the master marketeer is not just using AJ’s blue-chip name to inflate his reputation after dismal back-to-back performances against ancient Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr – then it is a serious contender for his next assignment.
After seeing what no-nonsense Joshua did in his last hybrid bout – a two-round 2024 demolition job on 19st UFC KO artist Francis Ngannou – there would be serious concern for 28-year-old Paul’s safety.
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Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte - all the info
One of the biggest fights of the year has arrived
The highly-touted Moses Itauma faces the biggest test of his fledgling career as he steps into the ring with Dillian Whyte on Saturday night.
Itauma, 20, has great expectations on his shoulders – he has been compared to Mike Tyson and is expected by many to dominate boxing’s heavyweight division over the next decade.
But the Slovakian-born star – who sits at 12-0 (10KOs) is yet to face a test anywhere close to what Whyte can offer.
The Body Snatcher is now 37 and has not looked great in his last couple of fights, but the former world title challenger knows an upset win would catapult him right back to the top table.
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Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fight…
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And whichever country, state or governing body sanctions the bout would come under serious scrutiny if the former Disney actor – who lost to fellow celebrity fighter Tommy Fury in 2023 – is beaten as badly as expected.
The British Boxing Board of Control – one of the most respected bodies in the world – confirmed to SunSport that there would be no guarantee the bout would be sanctioned under their auspices, should they ever receive an application.
Joshua has yet to speak publicly about the possibility of a punch-up with Paul, who has been harping on about facing the former two-time unified heavyweight champion at every opportunity.
