Mike Tyson is backing one man to emerge victorious between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who will finally square off at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
Initially, it was reported that the two British heavyweights would collide at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where Netflix felt the event would appeal to an American audience.
After several weeks of mounting pressure, however, ‘AJ’ and Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn held firm and secured a venue in the UK, as per their original contract with Turki Alalshikh and Sela.
But while this is perhaps seen as a victory of sorts, it is likely that the two combatants will fight at a time that is designed to bolster US viewership.
As such, the British punters can expect a ringwalk time of around 1am, similar to what was agreed for Joe Calzaghe vs Mikkel Kessler in 2007.
Regarding the fight itself, meanwhile, Fury has been made a sizable favourite following his respective points and stoppage victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Mariusz Wach.
While neither display was particularly inspiring, the ‘Gypsy King’ nonetheless defeated both opponents with minimal difficulty, whereas Joshua suffered two knockdowns before scoring a second-round finish over Kristian Prenga in July.
Regardless of those performances, though, former heavyweight champion Tyson has told Piers Morgan that he is backing Fury – not because of any clear advantages but, rather, due to the fact that the 38-year-old was named after him.
“Tyson’s named after me – I’m always with Tyson. It would be nice [if he beats Joshua].”
In addition to securing a satisfying victory over his long-time rival, the winner of Fury-Joshua is set to become a three-time world champion by claiming the WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title.
