ANTHONY JOSHUA’S victory against Kubrat Pulev at Wembley Arena last weekend sets up nicely the heavyweight clash that boxing has been waiting for. 

Barring a successful legal challenge by Deontay Wilder, and assuming that Joshua will either vacate his WBO title rather than face his WBO mandatory, Oleksandr Usyk, or persuade the Ukrainian to accept step aside money, we are guaranteed to see Tyson Fury and AJ share a ring — most probably in Saudi Arabia at the end of May 2021.

At least that’s if AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing is to be believed.

The idea being mooted is for them to face each other twice next year, with the hope and expectation that the second encounter will take place in Britain — most likely at Wembley Stadium — in front of a capacity crowd in December. This of course is Covid-19 permitting.

Nothing more principled than money dictates that the first fight will happen in the kingdom of death that is Saudi Arabia, where the blood never dries and sword never stops swinging.

This, after all, is prizefighting — a sport traditionally inured to such inconveniences as respect for human rights.

Based on AJ’s performance against Pulev, Fury is justifiably already installed as favourite. Joshua looked good in parts, but not as outstanding as Hearn and the rest of the Sky Sports Boxing clique would have us believe. 

His feet have improved, but not enough to match Fury’s. His engine needs work, he’s still a bit stiff at the waist, and he lacks lateral movement.

With Fury’s superior timing, speed, defence and ring IQ, it would be no surprise — at least to me — if he takes the former Olympic champion to school when they meet.

Boxing analyst and former trainer Teddy Atlas was spot on in averring that the ghost of Andy Ruiz Jnr is still in Johsua’s attic.

This was evident in the way that after having dropped Pulev twice in the third round, he proceeded to let him back into the fight over the next few rounds instead of going in for the kill.

His advocates labelled his refusal to do so as patience and evidence of maturity.

Myself, I prefer to put it down to the fact that since being KO’d by Ruiz in 2019, AJ fights with his seatbelt on, opting for caution to the point where caution is a vice. 

Dillian Whyte’s fight against Alexander Povetkin back in August is a case in point.

Whyte was in command and had the Russian down twice in the fourth but failed to close.

In the next round, the Russian rallied and sent him to sleep with a stunning left jab-left uppercut combination.

In heavyweight boxing, as the well-worn cliche has it, anything can happen.

The finish when it came in the ninth for Joshua against Pulev came in the shape of his customary crushing right hand.

It was an undeniably impressive shot. However, at this level, being nailed flush with four uppercuts one after the other, as Pulev was just before the end, is tantamount to a criminal offence. 

In truth, Kubrat Pulev, whom to his credit turned up in decent nick, was never in it.

At 39 his best fighting years are in his rearview and the result was not in doubt from the opening bell.

Hugh McIlvanney’s description of Joe Bugner as a fighter with the body of a Greek God but less moves applied to the Bulgarian last weekend.

It pains me to point this out, because in a moment of madness I actually put money on him. 

Lacking the fanfare of the build-up to AJ’s return to action is Liverpool’s Callum Smith’s own return this weekend against non other than the biggest star in boxing: Mexico Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Having receved just five weeks’ notice for the fight, Smith, current holder of the WBA super middleweight title, will attempt to do what no fighter has done since Floyd Mayweather Jnr all the way back in 2013 in defeating this Mexican icon when they meet in San Antonio, Texas.

Also on the line is the vacant WBC super middleweight title. However in a fight of this magnitude the belts take second place to legacy. 

Callum Smith is one of the most humble and dedicated fighters British boxing has produced in many a year.

Working away in solitude, he’s made it his business to spurn the limelight and media attention a fighter of his stature you would expect to embrace. 

He trains year round, is never out of shape, and emits the aura of a man who punches holes in walls in his spare time just to watch his knuckles bleed.

The Liverpudlian’s significantly superior reach, his power and precision should serve him well against Alvarez.

No-one, however, least of all himself and trainer Joe Gallagher, will be under any illusions when it comes to the size of the task.

Alvarez is a supremely gifted proponent of the art of boxing. Timing, speed, punch variety, feet, defence, offence, the way he sets traps, it’s all next level. 

What this means is that Callum Smith, undefeated in 27 fights with 19 KOs, will absolutely need to put in the performance of his life if he’s to stand a chance of making history.

Gallagher thinks that if he’s going to win against the Mexican over there it’ll have to be by stoppage, and he’s right. 

Alvarez, by the way, is currently embroiled in legal action against former friend and promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions and also the US streaming service DAZN.

This is over the former’s failure to find him opponents in 2020 and the latter’s attempt to adjust the huge three year contract he signed, citing Covid-19 as the reason. 

Though Smith and his team will not for a second be going in holding on to the hope that the Mexican’s legal battles will have proved a distraction they can exploit, it’s certainly not the best backdrop to a training camp for a championship fight.

Can he do it? 

Well, at the risk of a bad impersonation of Barack Obama: Smith is up against it, but yes he can.

This being said though — from someone who just threw 20 quid away on a Bulgarian veteran who threw more punches in his dressing room warming up than he did in the ring — maybe best not to take my word for it.

John Wight’s book, This Boxing Game: A Journey in Beautiful Brutality (Pitch Publishing), is currently available from all major booksellers.