Tyson Fury reacts to Anthony Joshua: “He’ll be over quickly, his team knows it”
The feud between world heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) and Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) continues. So is the finger-pointing over who was responsible for a failed fight between the two. It’s a dispute that seemingly has no end.
Here’s the backstory for those who have been living under a rock. In 2020, unified IBF/WBA ‘super’/WBO champion Joshua and WBC champ Fury agreed on a two-fight deal for them to face each other in 2021. First, it was thought they would fight in June of this year.
The date was pushed back, and it seemed the fight would place on August 14 in Saudia Arabia. That was put to a full stop when American arbitrator Daniel Weinstein ruled that Fury’s next fight must be against former WBC champ Deontay Wilder. There’s been a running debate since on why a deal was not finalized.
During an interview on The Overlap YouTube channel, Joshua said that he and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, were ready. He claims that they found the venue and sent an official offer. Joshua said it was Team Fury who bailed out. “AJ” also claims he would smoke Fury if and when they ever fight.
FURY RESPONDS
Never shying away from confrontation, the WBC champ responded and gave his side of the story to the host of The Overlap, Gary Neville.
“AJ couldn’t smoke a cigarette, never mind smoke The Gypsy King. He hasn’t got the minerals to fight a guy like me. I said to Eddie Hearn, so the difference between me and him is that he’s a businessman, and I’m a fucking spartan…”
I will absolutely annihilate that bodybuilder. He won’t go past six rounds, he’ll be over quickly. He knows that, and his team knows it. Eddie Hearn, he is a proper southern wanker.”
Despite the harsh words, Fury says he respects Joshua. He believes that any man willing to step in the ring and put their life on the line is worthy of that. Fury recognizes that Joshua came from a rough upbringing, turning his life around from a drug dealer to a world champion and an ambassador for the sport. Yet, he also calls him filtered and media-trained. The implication is that publicly, Joshua is not always his authentic self.
A TOP TIER TITLE FIGHT
Fury explained that he was never confident a fight against Joshua would happen, even when it seemed that a deal was apparent. Despite the lack of optimism, he believes the showdown will eventually take place.
It’s a moot point for now. Fury is preparing for a third fight against Wilder on October 9 in Las Vegas. Joshua defends his titles against WBO mandatory contender Oleksandr Usyk on September 25.
It would be a shame if Joshua v Fury never takes place. In the UK, Fury and Joshua are the largest boxing entities going. They are arguably the top two heavyweights in the world. For boxing fans at large, a fight between the two would be a sizeable event on a global scale.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
