Boxing Titans Unveiled: Fury and Joshua's Careers Ranked in Detail!

For over a decade, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been among boxing's most prominent stars, both experiencing title-winning highs and career-changing lows. Having collectively held all four versions of the world heavyweight title between 2019 and 2021, their highly anticipated fight has been delayed for years due to failed negotiations, rematch clauses, and unforeseen defeats. However, their paths are finally set to converge as it was confirmed this week that they will face each other at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11. This article examines the highs and lows of these rival heavyweights, Fury (38) and Joshua (37), ranking their best and worst wins, losses, title reigns, knockouts, and career-defining moments.

When comparing their best title reigns, Anthony Joshua's first reign stands out, lasting twice as long as Fury's best as champion. Joshua has also made more total world title defenses (7) than Fury (3). His initial six-defense reign saw him unify three versions of the world championship, placing him 12th in the list of most consecutive world heavyweight title defenses. Notable wins during this period include victories over Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin. This compares favorably to Fury's second reign, which included three defenses against Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, and Derek Chisora. Joshua also boasts a superior record in world title fights, at 9-4, compared to Fury's 5-2-1.

Conversely, Tyson Fury's first reign is considered the worst of their combined four reigns. After an outstanding points win over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, Fury failed to make a single defense, battling issues with alcohol, drugs, and depression. He also received a backdated two-year ban for a doping offense in December 2017, contributing to a two-and-a-half-year absence from the ring. Furthermore, Fury holds the record for the briefest-ever reigning world heavyweight champion, as the IBF stripped him of their title belt just 10 days after his victory over Klitschko for agreeing to an immediate rematch instead of facing their mandatory challenger, Vyacheslav Glazkov.

Anthony Joshua has suffered more damaging and humiliating defeats than Fury. Beyond two points losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua was also stopped in major upsets by Andy Ruiz Jr. and Daniel Dubois. The loss to Ruiz in 2019, where Joshua was outboxed and stopped in the seventh round after being floored four times by an 11-1 underdog replacement opponent, is considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight title history. Five years later, Dubois inflicted another crushing fifth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium, sending Joshua to the canvas four times in a fight he was expected to win comfortably. While Fury has only suffered two losses, both on points to Usyk, he has never been stopped in his professional career, a distinction Joshua lacks.

Regarding best wins, Fury's top victories include Wilder II (TKO 7), Klitschko (PTS UD), Wilder III (KO 11), Whyte (TKO 6), and Otto Wallin (PTS UD). Joshua's best five are Klitschko (TKO 11), Povetkin (TKO 7), Parker (PTS UD), Whyte (TKO 7), and Ruiz (PTS UD). While Fury's record includes three wins over dominant champions (Klitschko and Wilder), compared to one for Joshua (Klitschko), Joshua's overall superior tally of impressive knockouts, an Olympic gold medal, and a greater number of title defenses contribute to a compelling resume of impressive wins.

Tyson Fury demonstrates superior punch resistance, having been given counts in six fights and recovering to win four of them. He has shown incredible powers of recovery, notably against Deontay Wilder, who floored Fury four times across their trilogy of fights. In their 2018 draw, Wilder, then considered boxing's biggest puncher, heavily floored Fury twice in rounds 9 and 12, yet Fury rose to hear the final bell. He was also dropped twice in Round 4 of their third fight but recovered to secure an 11th-round knockout. Recent fights against Francis Ngannou (2023) and Oleksandr Usyk (2024) also saw Fury take counts but emerge victorious, despite using the ropes for support in a recent bout against Usyk.

Anthony Joshua, however, has experienced more alarming knockdowns, totaling 11 as a professional: two against Prenga, four against Dubois, four against Ruiz, and one against Klitschko. Most recently, Joshua was heavily floored twice by the unheralded Prenga in his last outing, highlighting a persistent vulnerability. While Fury has been put down in two more fights than Joshua (eight fights vs. six), he has suffered fewer total knockdowns (nine). The instances include Usyk (one), Ngannou (one), Wilder (two and two), Pajkic (one), and Cunningham (one).

Anthony Joshua is undisputedly the bigger knockout puncher, boasting a 90% KO ratio with 27 KOs in a 30-4 record, compared to Fury's 69% ratio with 25 KOs in a 36-2-1 record. Joshua has delivered savage KOs against opponents like Ngannou and Jake Paul recently, though his last world title fight KO was against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020. Fury's most recent world title fight stoppage was against Derek Chisora in December 2022. Joshua's highlight reel is rich with devastating KOs against top fighters such as Whyte, Klitschko, Pulev, Robert Helenius, and Povetkin.

When assessing the most memorable KO win, Fury's two victories over Wilder and Joshua's efforts against Klitschko, Povetkin, Pulev, and Whyte present a tough choice. Both fighters famously got off the canvas to stop their opponents (Fury vs. Wilder, Joshua vs. Klitschko). However, Fury's second win over Wilder is argued to be superior, as Wilder (34 at the time) was a more dangerous puncher than a 41-year-old Klitschko in his final fight against Joshua. Fury dropped Wilder in rounds 3 and 5 before forcing a seventh-round stoppage when Wilder's corner threw in the towel, ending Wilder's reign in his eighth title defense.

Joshua's worst loss is considered his Round 5 KO defeat to Daniel Dubois two years ago, which has been harder to rebound from than his points win over Ruiz to avenge an earlier loss. Joshua was bullied, sent sprawling four times, and counted out, with questions lingering about his future. These concerns were reinforced when he was dropped twice in the opening round against low-ranked Prenga in July, despite recovering to win by second-round KO.

Regarding earnings, while both have amassed millions, Joshua has edged ahead of Fury due to lucrative sponsorship deals complementing his ring earnings. His worth was recently estimated at £240M ($320M), placing him eighth richest among sportspeople on the Sunday Times Rich List. In terms of crowd attendance, the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight at Wembley Stadium attracted 98,128 spectators, slightly surpassing the 94,000 who witnessed Fury vs. Whyte at the same venue.