British heavyweight boxing will be electrified now that the long-awaited Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight has finally been made.
Rivals for years, Fury and Joshua had to fight, though it’s taken almost 10 years for it to eventually come to fruition.
They will now box at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
Johnny Fisher is looking to cement his own rise up the heavyweight rankings when he fights Michael Pirotton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
A former sparring partner of Fury’s, Fisher has welcomed the all-British super-fight. He appreciates the impact it’ll have on UK boxing.
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George Groves gives his view on the confirmation of Fury v Joshua with the fight set to take place December 11, in Cardiff
“We’ve been talking about this fight for a decade now and it’s finally over the line. The Principality is going to hold it, so it’s exciting,” Fisher told Sky Sports News.
“AJ and Fury transcend the boxing community. Everyone in England who knows the sport knows the names so it’s going to be massive for the sport of boxing.”
As well as protracted negotiations to make the fight, Fury and Joshua both had to get through warm up bouts to set up this clash.
Coming back to boxing after a terrible car accident, Joshua had a stuttering performance against Kristian Prenga in July when he hit the canvas twice in the first round before stopping his opponent in the next.
Fury briefly retired after losing two fights to Oleksandr Usyk but returned this year to beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in London and Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
While Fury is deemed to be the more in-form fighter, Fisher warned: “AJ has got that devastating power to end it whenever he needs to.
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Johnny Nelson shares his thoughts on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, with the fight being announced to take place in Cardiff on December 11
“Going on the last six months to a year of performances, Fury has dusted off that ring rust and the same with Mariusz Wach when he fought him, while AJ has been in a bit of jeopardy when he fought Kristian Prenga so the smart money is with Fury right now but who knows? That’s why we’re going to tune in.”
There are other areas of comparison with common opponents. Both boxed Francis Ngannou in recent years, with Fury edging out the UFC fighter whereas Joshua rapidly levelled him.
“There’s been points when I think Fury has been ahead of the game a few years back but then I thought AJ with that knockout of Francis Ngannou,” Fisher said.
“Fury didn’t have the performance that we thought he would against Ngannou, but then in recent times I would back Fury.
“As boxing fans we now get to deliberate and debate and see all the platforms talking about it.”
Watch Fisher vs Pirotton this Saturday live on Sky Sports.
