Author: Sean Crose

They said both men had their best years behind them. Sure, they both achieved glory in the ring, but never against each other. We’re told it’s a little disappointing that things have taken so long, but at least we finally got to see how two legends perform in the ring – albeit after the deadline. I’m, of course, talking about the iconic middleweight title fight that took place in April 1987 between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard. Humorous how Hagler and Leonard, both in great shape, were perceived as having already reached their deadlines before the fight. What’s even funnier is that no one is looking at the Hagler-Leonard fight right now, which Leonard ended up winning by a close, controversial decision since it came on the scene a bit delayed.

The news that former heavyweight champions – as well as fellow Brits – Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally fight has sparked similar sentiments online, with the opinion being: “Of course, it’s great, but it’s a shame it didn’t happen sooner.” The truth is that if Fury-Joshua, who is officially scheduled to be knocked down before the end of the year, turns out to be an excellent fight, no one will care where in their career or calendar each fighter was when the final bell rang. No one mentions Leonard and Hagler’s age when they fought. The same could be said for Leonard’s rematch with Tommy Hearns two years later (which also turned out to be an excellent and controversial fight). Good fights overcome a lot of the little things.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that this fight could have ended years ago, when each fighter was younger and smarter. But sometimes you take what you can get if it’s still something worth appreciating. The reality is that if Leonard hadn’t been retired for years before the Hagler fight, and Hagler hadn’t come out of two brutal wars of attrition (against Hearns and John “The Beast” Mugabi, respectively) before the Leonard fight, then their 1987 battle might have been different – or maybe not. Boxing is a sport full of “what if?” What if Ali had not been stripped of his belt? What if the younger Louis had come face to face with Marciano? What if Floyd and Manny had managed to do it in 2010 instead of 2015?

We don’t know the answers to these questions, and as tempting as they are, such questions tend to fade into slim air. Why? Because substantial fights embody the appeal of boxing, which is simply about determining who is the best of two fighters. And let’s face it, you’re curious who is the better of the two in this case. If it weren’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this column. In tiny, Fury-Joshua has the makings of a good fight. Both warriors are powerful physical specimens with the power of combustion. Each fighter can also change styles to adapt to a given opponent. Joshua defeated Ruiz in their second fight, outboxing his man. Fury defeated Deontay Wilder in their second fight, beating his fighter.

However, there is one caveat to all this, and that is the fact that Joshua will fight a well-seasoned fight in July in Saudi Arabia against the widely unknown Kristian Prenga. It’s understandable that Joshua has decided to make a change at this point in his career. Last winter he survived a earnest car accident in which two people lost their lives. Let me repeat: it is understandable that the man would want a rematch before the fight with Fury. Supposedly, basic fights can go south after all. Larry Holmes was about to face Gerry Cooney in the mega-age when he was almost knocked out by Renaldo Snipes. Holmes got up from the mat and defeated Snipes and (later) Cooney. Still, the fight with Snipes was too close for comfort.

A much more close confrontation occurred a few years ago when Fury was shockingly knocked down by MMA star and boxing novice Francis Ngannou. Like Holmes, Fury got back up and managed to win the fight (which is somewhat controversial), but for a man hoping to fight Olyksandr Usyk, it wasn’t a good night for the fighter known as The Gypsy King. With this in mind, it is highly unlikely that Joshua will lose to Prenga this summer. After all, Joshua is a earnest man and the stakes are simply too high. However, all this shows how uncertain the sport of boxing can be. Fury and Joshua were said to be on the verge of facing off in 2021, but the referee ruled that Fury would have to face Deontay Wilder instead. And although Fury won, Joshua ultimately lost to Oleksandr Usyk before facing Fury in the ring.

Now it looks like the two men are finally reconciling. It may not carry the same weight as Fury’s fight with Joshua all those years ago, but as they say, better delayed than never.