It depends what time it's on, if it's on at a decent time I will watch it, but it doesn't mean I am interested in it. I can guarantee you I won't be staying up all night to watch it. I'm writing about it because I am annoyed that it's happened nearly a decade too late; I think you've got that conflated with me being interested in the actual fight itself, they're two very different things. Fury looked woeful against Wach, and Joshua nearly got sparked by an Albanian nobody had heard of in 1 round. Why would I lie about not being interested in the fight if I was? Nobody would care either way.
If I have no interest in something, I don't watch it and I don't talk about it. I certainly don't write many hundreds or some thousands of words about something I am not interested in. It's a classic case of "the lady doth protest too much". The "haters" are overwhelmingly going to be staying up late to see it, watching it on the edge of their seats, and commenting on it endlessly afterwards.
As a boxing fan in general, the AJ vs Fury circus is dominating the boxing news cycle, and I've been invested in the idea of the fight for a long time, especially around the time it should have happened before Joshua got chinned by Ruiz/Dubois and Fury nearly lost to Ngannou. I can have an opinion on it, be annoyed it happened far too late, and also not care about the fight happening in 2026. All of those things can be true at the same time; it's not a black-and-white scenario. If I was interested in the fight, I'd tell you I was; it'd be a pointless thing to lie about.
The people who genuinely are not interested in this fight aren't talking about it and won't watch it. This is performative. If the fight were a 3 round shootout HW classic what will you say then? "It would have been better in 2018"?
I doubt it. There's no way this doesn't hit record numbers in the UK, they're essentially punishing their fanbase by holding it in the US.
Yeah, because if it is a classic in 2026, it means the fight would have been an even better fight between 2 fresher, undefeated fighters for all the marbles back in 2018, before they both had lost or got smashed all over the place by a cruiserweight/started fighting YouTubers and MMA fighters. I'm not interested in their names; I'm interested in the best fighting the best, and neither of them is elite at this weight anymore; that's the main reason I'm not bothered about the fight. As I say, I think you've confused my annoyance at the fight happening so late with being interested in the actual fight once the bell goes.
It was not for all the marbles in 2018, Wilder had a belt. It could have been in 2020/2021 but AJ had lost by then. Fury-AJ in 2018 could have easily looked like a Fury-Wlad re-run. In 2026 Fury's legs have gone and AJ's chin is gone, so it could easily be a slugfest now. There is far more chance of an early KO finish, perhaps with both hitting the deck, now than there was back then. If the fight is a classic, people will not care that they were past their best, any more than they care that this was true of Ali and Frazier in fight 3, or Leonard and Hearns in the rematch. The fight will generate enormous, historic interest (assuming it happens). This is not in doubt.
Record numbers in what ways? Ticket sales? Perhaps in sheer tickets sold, but that's only one revenue stream in these modern fights now. It's the broadcast and sponsorship rights that seem to be the real money makers. Why would Turki or whoever want to just punish British fans out of spite, if they could actually make more money doing it in the UK? It's obviously purely a money thing.
I'd be happy because I'd be able to go. Sure the fight isn't what it should be but it will probably be a fun event and the fight will probably be a knockout.
Absolutely! The biggest part of the appeal Joshua Fury has at this time is the kind of appeal Thor vs Eddie Hall has... Or ryan garcia vs benn. Or eubank vs benn or whatever. Sure, they still have skills and experience, but it is a sad shadow of their former selves. Not for boxing purists, fans of the sweet science or real boxing enthusiasts. Doesn't matter if it is commercially successful. If it was about that i could watch soccer.
Would be damn funny that one of the biggest UK boxing grudge match is held in the US. To be televised at less than optimal time for British viewer. And on top of all that this will be PPV
Historically speaking, MSG is still the greatest fight venue during the long rich history of professional boxing.
Don't care about the fight. It can even be in Mongolia at this point. Couldn't care less. Would prefer UK/Saudi however due to the time zone.