Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury Still Isn’t Convinced Anthony Joshua Fight Will Happen This Spring

Although reports have been positive, Tyson Fury still isn’t convinced that a fight against Anthony Joshua will happen in the coming months.

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While the boxing world awaits a blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs), “The Gypsy King” still isn’t convinced the fight will take place in the coming months. 

A fight between the two British boxers is arguably the biggest fight that can be made in boxing at the moment. Given Fury’s standing as the WBC Heavyweight champion and lineal king, and Joshua’s standing as the WBA, WBO and IBF titleholder, the winner would earn the right to call himself undisputed. 

The two sides have reportedly been negotiating, and if Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is to be believed, talks have been moving in the right direction, with June as a potential target date for the bout. 

Fury, however, remains skeptical. 

“They’ve had a full year to try and make this fight happen,” said Fury to ESPN. “Since the last Wilder fight, even before the Wilder fight, they were talking about a fight potentially between me and Joshua. They’ve had a full year to make something happen, and it hasn’t happened as of yet. It is what it is. We’re no further forward today than we were a year ago.

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“The way [COVID-19] is at the moment, I don’t think [negotiations] got much to do with the fighters. It’s to do with the venue, date, place, site fees. It’s to do with everything but the fight itself.”

The Gypsy King is certainly correct in his assessment that COVID-19 has made everything more difficult. But both Hearn and Fury’s promoter, Bob Arum, have found ways to stage events in recent months. A potential Fury vs. Joshua undisputed title fight is surely a different magnitude of event, though, making the process to iron out the details even harder. 

Whether or not the fight comes together in the coming months remains to be seen, but that won’t change Fury’s plans for 2021. He hasn’t competed in over a year since triumphantly stopping Deontay Wilder in their rematch last February. And it’s safe to say that he’s itching to get back in the ring. 

So no matter the opponent, the 32-year-old champion expects to fight twice this year. 

“If that fight doesn’t happen this summer, it’s got to happen sooner or later,” said Fury. “But Top Rank has to give me two fights this year. I will fight two times on [Top Rank network partner] ESPN. I don’t care who it is. If it’s not Joshua, we’re looking to fight in April or early May, and the end of the year. If it is Joshua, then June and the end of the year. Bang, bang. So, 2021 is looking bright.”

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