Opening Odds for Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury After Two-Fight Deal Signed

• Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury are aligned for a pair of fights and are both expected this calendar year
• How did this two-fight, heavyweight mega-deal come together?
• Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury has been hotly discussed for years, and it looks like we will finally see it in 2021. Not just once but twice! In the opening odds, Fury has been listed as a small favorite.

This bout is of huge significance because it will lead to an undisputed heavyweight champion in the sweet science for the first time in many years. Fury enters this contest as the WBC and lineal champion, while Joshua is the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titlist.

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Odds

Odds as of Mar.15

Negotiations for this prizefight have been ongoing for the last few months. A tangled web of rival promoters and rival networks lead to a lot of jockeying for position on both sides.

Some pundits and fans seemed to be getting antsy about whether or not this fight would ever happen. But I never wavered in my thought that Fury would next step in the ring with Joshua.

AJ vs Gypsy King Backstory

COVID-19 created several hurdles for this fight due large in part to the prevalence of no fans in attendance at events.

A live gate for a Fury vs Joshua bout would yield a tremendous amount of money. So a no-fans-in-attendance dynamic would be akin to shooting oneself in the foot on a promotional level.

The theory from insiders is that this fight will likely take place in Dubai with a socially distanced live crowd, like McGregor vs Poirier II when UFC promoted there.

Obviously, some specifics still need to be ironed out. However, the main point is that Joshua versus Fury is good to go.

‼️✍️ Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury for the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO heavyweight championship of the world is now SIGNED, according to Eddie Hearn. Promoters will next look to finalise a site deal and announce date/venue in coming weeks. [@ESPN] pic.twitter.com/VlDaI2Ywtm

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 15, 2021

The contract details reported via ESPN indicate that the first fight will be a 50-50 splitting of the funds with a 60-40 dynamic for the second bout whereby the winner gets the more sizeable purse.

Tyson Fury is favored heading into this one, and it’s understandable why.

Fury’s previous contest saw him wrest the WBC gold from long-reigning champion/well-regarded KO artist Deontay Wilder in their February 2020 rematch.

Joshua’s last outing saw him dispatch Kubrat Pulev via ninth-round knockout in their December title bout. AJ successfully defended the hardware he regained in his rematch with Andy Ruiz. Joshua was knocked out by Ruiz in their first bout.

I think the relatively recent image of Joshua getting halted in that June 2019 bout is informing the line. However, Fury’s unbeaten record is also a factor.

Fury vs Joshua in the Summer?

A few days prior to this announcement, Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum was indicating that a Fury vs Joshua bout could possibly take place in late June or early July, but time will tell.

The rematch would ideally then come to fruition in either November or December.

The start and stop dialogue around the fight was to such a point that Fury claimed he pulled back from training altogether for the then-targeted Joshua fight.

“I only need six, seven weeks training for these bums.”@Tyson_Fury is taking some time off from training but he says he can be ready in the drop of a hat. pic.twitter.com/qsuwkQLEl2

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) March 13, 2021

I think some promotional magic will result in Joshua becoming a less sizeable underdog.

I don’t foresee the line moving to where AJ becomes the outright favorite. That being said, I think there will be marginally better odds for him when Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury goes down.