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Fury vs Joshua: Tyson Fury opens as nearly 2-to-1 betting favorite

“The Gypsy King” is the oddsmakers’ favorite as the lines open.

Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury II - MGM Grand Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

With reports that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have signed off on a two-fight deal, the fight may still not be officially official, but the betting odds are a lot more serious now, and they are opening up.

Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO) is nearly a 2-to-1 favorite over Joshua (24-1, 23 KO) in the opening odds from both Sportsbetting.ag and BetOnline.ag. Fury is at -190 and Joshua at +165.

“2-to-1” might sound big if you’re not a much of a gambler, but it’s really not; in fact, these are about as tight as odds really get for big fights, not far off from this past weekend’s Estrada-Chocolatito fight.

For comparison, MGM currently have Canelo Alvarez at -600, so 6-to-1, for his May 8 fight with Billy Joe Saunders (+400), and Josh Taylor is at -225 for his May 22 fight with Jose Ramirez (+185).

The odds are about what you’d probably expect, in other words, and will be affected from here based on how people bet. There could be major action on Joshua, who has a dedicated fan base, which would drive the lines closer to dead even.

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