This is your typical comeback, when faced with facts. Everyone in boxing knows AJ v Tyson Fury is the biggest possible UK fight. AJ knows it. Eddie Hearn knows it. Only an idiot would think a little guy with bad feet and a loss to Tony Bellew would be a bigger fight.
It's all a bit moot. The last time I saw Fury he looked terrible, sounded awful too. His 2018 plan is pie in the sky and the likelihood of ever seeing the form that beat Wlad again is improbable. If he were to jump straight into a fight with Joshua tomorrow it would definitely sell well and he'd probably get banjo'd with a quickness for his money. That fight's bigger than a Haye fight as of now. The problem arises when he tries to build up to that fight instead and looks awful against subpar opposition, which he would do unless he pulls a Ray Leonard and dusts off in closed door bouts. That's going to steal lustre from a Joshua fight. On the other hand, if Haye should look decent against Bellew the Joshua fight immediately becomes viable to the masses. You're underestimating how popular Haye is in the UK if you don't think that fight would be every bit as big as a Fury fight, if not bigger. Even if Haye scrapes past Bellew and Fury does likewise against someone he'd have pummeled a few years back both would sell well despite their lack of merit. Personally I don't think Fury will ever reach a stage in the gym where a comeback is viable. He doesn't strike me as the type to cash his pride in regardless. Haye breaking down in the rematch or getting caught with something are also reasonable possibilites. The chances of Haye fighting Joshua are better than the odds of Fury fighting him.
