Boxing is littered with tails of gym sparring sessions between two big names, who were either established at the time or became so afterwards. Dennis Andries, for example, is said to have broken hearts as well as bones in his numerous gym wars at Kronk in the late 1980s. And today, in speaking with Sky Sports, IBF heavyweight boss Anthony Joshua spoke about who bossed the sparring session he had with current world ruler Tyson Fury many moons ago.
In fact, according to the straightforward and honest Joshua – who, unlike Fury, has never really badmouthed any opponent, either past or prospective – nobody bossed the spar that took place in London in 2009. Joshua says the two engaged in “a war,” with both men giving as good as they got and earning mutual respect. Joshua says how Fury was, at the time, offering any fighter he sparred with his Rolex watch to keep if they could knock him out. Joshua says he tried his best but was unable to flatten the 7-0 Fury.
“This was early on when I was an amateur, so I didn’t even know who Tyson Fury was,” Joshua said. “If you know me, I’m hungry and I was hungrier back then. I remember him popping in the gym and [my] coach says, ‘alright, Josh, you’re sparring.’ In the boxing gym there is no word called ‘no.’ I just got my head guard on, my gum-shield in and we cracked on. Me and him just had a straight war. We’ve got the same heart. We’re both fighting people and we go to war. I didn’t manage to knock him out. We both hit each other with some big shots, powerful shots.”
Fans are of course hoping the two heavyweights, who are being built up as bitter rivals by the media (this despite A.J clearly having plenty of respect for Fury and Fury recently saying how he likes Joshua) will meet up and swap leather for real in what would be an enormous all-British heavyweight unification clash. In truth, not too much can be taken from the spar the two juggernauts had almost seven years ago (Joshua being a teenager, Fury being just 20) – but a fight between the two today would divide opinion sharply.
Who wins in late 2016 or, more likely, 2017? Can you say pick ’em!?
