All of us saw at least one of Mike Tyson’s recent clips in which he looks astonishing. For a guy of his age, Mike seems unreal. Many of his fans and members of the boxing community are secretly hoping to see him in the ring once more.
Meanwhile, the media is pumping up the hype surrounding his alleged comeback, trying to use this story to sell as many copies or get more clicks if it is on the web. We have to admit that seeing Mike inside the ring would be monumental, but the chances for such a thing are minimal. Even though there were some efforts to book a match with Evander Holyfield, that isn’t going to happen.
This means that we have to settle with other matches coming up this summer, and for now, the closest one should be Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev. The Bulgarian is the IBF’s mandatory challenger, and he’s been waiting for a chance to fight for the title for quite some time.
Originally, this event was planned for June 20 in Manchester, but the COVID-19 crisis postponed it. AJ is a massive favorite here, with odds at 1/8 for his win. Pulev sits at 5/1, while a draw is at 33/1. Joshua to win via KO, TKO, or DSQ is 4/9, and Pulev’s victory with the same method is 9/1. As for other odds, you can find it at the bookies offers following this link.
AJ holds three major belts and is considered the best heavyweight in the world, but some dispute his greatness, saying that he first needs to beat Tyson Fury. For those doubters, the Gypsy King is the best boxer in this division right now. After thrashing Deontay Wilder recently, the majority of the boxing community gives him an edge in the potential matchup.
The bookies set his win at 1/2, while on the other side, Joshua is at 6/4. A draw is 25/1. The experts are predicting this to be one of the best fights in the recent few decades, and many see it going it to the distance. However, the odds aren’t backing that up. To see all 12 rounds is 11/10, while the opposite is 4/6. On the other side, to see a stoppage Fury’s win via TKO, KO or DSQ is 9/4, and AJ’s is 5/2.
Fury and Joshua reportedly had a verbal agreement about two fights in the next year or so, and that is a good sign for the fans. But, there are a few obstacles on the way. Fury, too, has a mandatory challenger in the WBC division, and that is Dillian Whyte.
The other Brit isn’t keen on stepping aside and allowing Fury to have his unification fight but wants to disrupt his plans instead. The Body Snatcher, as the fans call him, isn’t favored by the bookies.
He is 4/1 to win, and Fury’s triumph is 1/6, and that pretty much tells everything. A draw is 25/1. The champ to defeat Whyte via KO, TKO, and DSQ is 2/5, and the opposite to happen 10/1. Fight to go to the distance is 4/1.
If at least one of these fights come through this year, things in the heavyweight division would be interesting. It wouldn’t be appealing as Tyson’s return, but still, the fans would be satisfied.
One thing we didn’t mention, after more than 20 years, there is a chance to see an undisputed heavyweight champion. Per bookmakers, Fury is the closest to achieving that. His odds are 4/5. Joshua comes next, 6/4, Deontay Wilder is 6/1, White 25/1, the fastest rising star Daniel Dubois is 50/1, and Joe Joyce is 100/1. The interesting thing is that we don’t have the odds for Pulev here, as if everyone wrote him off.
