Anthony Joshua has a plan to get Wilder and Fury!
After reclaiming his quartet of heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22 KO’s), Anthony “AJ” Joshua (23-1, 21 KO’s) sent shockwaves through the boxing world.
The UK superstar accomplished this by offering to be a sparring partner for Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury (29-0-1, 20 KO’s). Fury has an upcoming rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KO’s) on February 22, 2020.
At this level of the game it’s virtually unheard of for a champion to volunteer to be a sparring partner for a would-be challenger. Nevertheless, this is precisely what is being proposed.
MILLINIAL BOXING TACTICS
When news of the offer went public it was widely thought that the statement was more tongue in cheek than legitimate intention. Well that was until AJ confirmed that he was quite serious. Joshua has testified that he wants to become the undisputed champion of the division.
At the moment, Wilder stands as Joshua’s final obstacle to completing that dream. This is because Wilder possesses the WBC heavyweight green belt, which is the last piece of the puzzle.
Yet, AJ is under the impression that of the two boxers, Fury and Wilder, Fury would fight him first. According to this rationale Joshua is willing to help the Gypsy King defeat the Bronze Bomber so that he and Fury can fight for undisputed.
Now it would appear that Joshua is looking to kill two birds with one stone.
CLEVER OR CONFUSED?
While Joshua would be looking to team up with Fury to get Wilder out the way, AJ would also be seeking to get some behind the scenes reconnaissance on the Gypsy King’s camp and methodology. According to the unified heavyweight champion, joining forces with Fury would play into a larger plan of action that he has in work.
Even as a champion Joshua, and his team, have always maintained that he is still learning on the job. With this being the case, the unified champion is under the impression that by infiltrating Fury’s camp he can glean a wealth of useful information from the colorful pugilist.
In an interview with SkySports, Joshua is openly stating that he would love to play double agent.
“I know I can take my notes and go back when I’m ready to fight him and correct all my wrongs. So everyone is like you wouldn’t do it, but no one knows how my brain works.
“Everyone talks from their own experiences and I can only talk from my own. So when I say that I’ll go out and spar Fury it’s because I have a plan in my mind that no one will really understand.”
By infusing into the Fury camp AJ can add more weapons to his arsenal as well as pinpoint the Achilles Heel of Fury. Allowing an upcoming foe such compromising access to your preparation is certainly out of the norm.
However in the end, it’s a tactic that cuts both ways. Just as Joshua would have the first hand report, so to would Fury.
From this angle, perhaps Fury is curious to get a sneak peak of the current version of AJ. It will be fascinating to see if this odd partnership comes to life.
By: Bakari Simpson
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