Fight fans sensing heavyweight history

Within days of being unofficially confirmed, an all-British heavyweight super-fight is already generating the biggest buzz among boxing bettors in nearly half a century.

On June 10, lineal champion Tyson Fury announced on social media that an agreement has been reached for a showdown against unified titleholder Anthony Joshua in mid-2021－though the exact date and venue have not been finalized.

By the weekend, bookmakers were favoring Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), even though he will likely first have to survive a third bout with Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), which is projected to take place this fall.

Fury opened at－200 (bet $200 to win back another $100), according to Oddschecker.com, while Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) was at +175(bet $100 to win another $175).

"It's been a dream fight for a number of years, which at times looked unlikely to happen, especially through Fury's struggles with his personal demons and AJ's loss to Andy Ruiz," Pete Watt, spokesman for Oddschecker.com, told Boxingscene.com.

This marks the first time that Joshua, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is listed as a betting underdog. A 33-1 favorite going into his KO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr last June, he was a 3-1 pick to win their December rematch, in which he regained the IBF, WBO and WBA crowns by unanimous decision.

Joshua is next due to face IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs), with unbeaten Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs), the WBO's No 1 contender, waiting in the wings for his overdue title shot.

But betting action on Joshua vs Fury is already creating comparisons to the 1975 "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier－and the early indication is that Fury is the clear favorite.

"It's the 'People's Champion' Tyson Fury who has been most backed since the market opened, taking 61 percent of bets compared with just 36 percent for AJ and 3 percent for the draw," said Watt.

Odds for a draw opened at+2800 according to Fox Bet, but were quickly bet down to+2500.

In his Instagram announcement, Fury, who reclaimed the lineal championship and the WBC title with a brutal seventh-round stoppage of Wilder in their rematch on Feb 22, raised some eyebrows by thanking Daniel Kinahan for "getting this deal over the line".

Last July, Kinahan, an Irish citizen who lives in the Middle East, was identified in the High Court in Dublin as a "senior figure in organized crime on a global scale".

Ireland's Criminal Assets Bureau said Kinahan "controls and manages" the operations of a group that smuggles drugs and guns into Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe and "has associations that facilitate international criminal activity in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America".

Fury said he received a phone call from Kinahan to confirm "the biggest fight in British boxing history has just been agreed".

But Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Sky Sports News there are still "several obstacles to overcome" and no contracts have been signed.

"We're making great progress," Hearn said. "There is still a lot to overcome. We are looking at venues and dates. It's fair to say Joshua and Fury are in agreement regarding the financial terms of the fight.

"The most difficult part of any deal is the financial element. I believe we're in a great place where both guys have agreed to what that should be.

"The main positive news is that Joshua and Fury have agreed to a two-fight deal, in essence. The first fight could happen next summer."

The split for the first fight has been reported as 50-50, with the winner taking a 60-40 split in the second.

Joshua netted nearly $50 million for his second fight with Ruiz, while Fury earned an estimated $20 million for his first fight with Wilder before signing a five-fight deal with ESPN and Top Rank which is thought to be worth in excess of $100 million.

Hearn added he has been talking with Fury's management team, MTK Global, to help arrange the fight. Last month MTK CEO Sandra Vaughan said MTK had no association with Kinahan, but days later it announced a partnership with Middle East-based KHK Sports, which recently appointed Kinahan as an adviser.

As usual, the last word went to Fury.

"I've got to smash in Deontay Wilder's face in my next fight and then we go into the Joshua fight next year," he said.