By Shaun Phillips-
Tyson Fury is facing criticism for ditching the potential cash with Anthony Joshua after the Londoner failed to meet his deadline of signing for the fight by Monday.
The Wbc champion offered Joshua the lifeline after back-to-back losses to Olegsander Usyk that sent Joshua’s career going backwards. The 60-40 offer was the best the beaten Londoner could expect, but the delay in signing for the fight appears to have put Fury off the fight.
Meanwhile, Joshua says he is still interested in the fight, but that the contract is with his lawyers.
“It’s not in my hands, it’s with the legal team,” Joshua posted on his social media. “That’s why you hire lawyers. You know the history of boxing, make sure you get your legal terms right. Of course, I’m going to sign a contract. It’s just with some lawyers at the minute.”
Fury is unimpressed and sees Joshua as avoiding the fight.
Fury, told Sky Sports that Joshua is only an ‘invited guest’ to his party.
However, whispers that Fury may instead fight Manuel Charr in December, and is already in talks to meet Olegsander Usyk next year, has annoyed some fans who feel he is messing around.
Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he is in negotiations with Tyson Fury over an undisputed title clash next year but claims the Gypsy King is demanding £500million for the showpiece event.
Analysts believe Fury is trying to maximise potential revenues through his erratic conduct and may in fact proceed with arrangements to face Joshua once signed by the Londoner. The gypsy king is probably the most unpredictable boxer alive, and it is next to impossible to always determine what he is going to do.
Many believe Joshua has had long enough to sign the contract, but still believe Fury should wait a bit more for it to be signed, rather than bullishly call the fight off, or act like it is being called off.
Clown
One commenting fan said: Tyson Fury has turned into one of the biggest clowns in boxing.” Another added, Tyson Fury has becoming too big for his b Another agreed: “Tyson Fury is becoming too big for his boots. If he is serious about-facing Joshua why doesn’t he just wait it out.?
”He knows there is a real risk of getting knocked out by Joshua, even though he is the favourite and more likely to win that fight. The possibility of a shock defeat could be a scary thought for him”, so the easy way out is to make it look like Joshua is avoiding the fight”.
”just wasting everyone’s time. DAZN and BT were meant to be meeting today to discuss the fight and then Fury says he’s pulling out same day at 5 pm. Pathetic., said another.
One fan also added: “Hope everyone takes at least five minutes on their lunch break to think about just how much of a coward Tyson Fury is.”
Others blamed Joshua for the confusion surrounding a long-awaited clash between the two brits. “If AJ really wanted to call Fury’s bluff why didn’t he sign the contract he’s had for 10 days?” Another said ”I think AJ is tirn between two opposing worlds here. Deciding between whether to fight for the extra money he doesn’t really need, and be humiliated by Fury, or he is trying to maximise the money he earns from the fight beyond what’s on offer”.
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Former World heavyweight Champion: Anthony Joshua Image: Getty Images
The gypsy king is unpredictable and could be bluffing in protest against the apparent sluggishness of Joshua’s team in getting the deal over the line. He could also be dead serious, given his
Joshua yesterday announced that the contract was with his lawyers who were thoroughly examining the details of the deal, with the potential of making proposed amendments tp certain sections of it, if necessary.
Negotiations
With Fury”s immediate next fight being with Joshua in doubt, Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he is in negotiations with Tyson Fury over an undisputed title clash next year but claims the Gypsy King is demanding £500million for the showpiece event.
Usyk beat Anthony Joshua for a second time via split decision in August to retain his WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles, and the Ukrainian boxer is now looking to add Fury’s WBC belt to his collection.
He has said he is not ‘interested in fighting any other boxer’ as he wants to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but Usyk has admitted the deal could fall through because of Fury’s ‘crazy’ demands.
Usyk has said his team are ‘doing their best’ to secure an undisputed title clash next year but admitted negotiations are still ongoing.
Speaking to Parimatch, Usyk said: ‘I don’t know anything about what Tyson Fury is doing or thinking.
Usyk retained his WBA, WBO and IBF titles with a split-decision win over Anthony Joshua
‘Of course, I really want to have this fight next year. But, if Tyson Fury is not interested in a match next year, then it’s not possible to fight against him. I’m not interested in fighting any other boxer, so let’s wait.
‘He’s talking about £500million pounds for the fight. He’s a lunatic, but in a good sense I mean. I’d also want £500m, but it’s something crazy.’
Speaking after his victory over Joshua, Usyk called out Fury – who had just retired from professional boxing after stopping Dillian Whyte.