By Tim Parsons-
Tyson Fury has prized himself out of a domestic showdown with Anthony Joshua in 2018, after sending a tweet insisting that the fight can only take place under terms of a 60-40 spit in Fury’s favour.
Anthony Joshua is currently locked in a contractual arrangement to meet WBO champion, Joseph Parker in a blockbuster unification fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on March 31st, in 2 months time.
Over 70,000 tickets have already been sold by fans , keen to witness the the big unification clash between the two unbeaten champions. Fury, in the meantime has been out of the ring for two years, but expressed his belief that Joshua would be one of his easiest fights. The unbeaten gypsy warrior even expressed a desire to face Fury straight off his long hiatus from the ring, claiming to be able to beat the powerful Londoner on his first or second fight back.
However, a recent tweet by Fury tells Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, to stop using his name to promote Joshua’s fight with Parker. In the tweet, Fury says ”I’ve already told you it will be on my terms& the split will be 60/40 my end, before concluding, ”see you summer/autumn 2019.
TYSON2FASTFURY
@Tyson_Fury
@EddieHearn please stop useing my name on a daily basis to build AJ vs Parker, you have had your chance to make me vs AJ & declined many times! I’ve already told you it will be on my terms & the split will be 60/40 my end, see you summer/autumn 2019 .
MIXED MESSAGES
Fury has always been a man of mixed messages. One day he says he will fight and beat Joshua on his first fight back, the next day, he presents outrageous conditions then says they will meet in 2019. Fury is not a man that can be taking very seriously. The odds will be stacked against him if he were to meet Joshua this year. The Londoner will be expected to stop him inside the distance. The case may be different if Fury is allowed to have another 3 or 4 fights first before meeting Joshua, because once the rust is off, and Fury has gained more significant rounds, he could possibly out box Joshua and win a clear points decision.
Until Fury returns to the ring against decent opposition, his loud noise making are just loud words. He has lost his spot as the world’s best, and needs to find a way to regain that position. His unrealistic demands for a 60/40 split sounds like a trick to pull out of a fight he fears he could loose. Eddie Hearn has already offered Fury the opportunity to face Joshua for his first defense if he beats Joseph Parker on March 31. Joshua against Parker is a fight the Londoner should loose, but the same could have been said of his fight with Klitschko and Takam.
Joshua is expected to beat Takam after loosing some sweat, but it appears Fury doesn’t want to face the embarrassment of having to turn down an invitation to meet Joshua straight after that win.
Fury was recently cleared to fight again after serving a ban for breaching doping rules and refusing a blood test by Ukad officials when approached in 2016. He has been offered a fight for his comeback by tough 46 year old Shannon Briggs, but is yet to respond to it. A fight against former world champion, Briggs, is one Fury should win, but it could also prove to be a real test for his come back bout. Fury should take the fight, it will be worth watching whilst it lasts.