Tyson Fury: Deal to fight Anthony Joshua not 'imminent'
Promoter Eddie Hearn has said repeatedly that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are on the verge of a deal to fight late this spring or early summer. Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, has suggested the same thing.
Tyson Fury doesn’t sound quite as confident as those men.
The heavyweight champ said in an interview with iFL TV that nothing is set and even suggested that he might face Deontay Wilder a third time instead of the long-awaited heavyweight title-unification showdown with Joshua.
“Eddie Hearn is a promoter. So is Bob Arum. It’s their job to sell the fight,” Fury said. “… Until I have a date, a fight, and a hell of a lot of money in my pocket, there’s no fight. There’s a lot of things that people don’t know behind the scenes that can scupper a fight just like that.
“So nothing is actually on until you’re actually in the ring. We’re nowhere near that at the moment.”
He went on: “Do I think the fight will eventually happen sooner or later? Yes. It has to happen. Do I think it’s imminent, right next minute? No, I don’t.”
Fury said he has learned not to count on anything in the boxing business, which has a way of breaking hearts.
“I’m not going to put all my eggs in one basket,” he said, “because I’ve been guilty of that before. Then these fights don’t happen. Then I end up in massive depression and feeling like killing myself.
“So I’m not going to say this fight will definitely happen in May, June, August, whenever. If it happens great, if it doesn’t, I can’t do anything about it.”
Then he mentioned Wilder.
“I’m open to fight Fred Flintstone and his cousin,” he said. “I have two fights this year. I don’t give a f— who it’s with. I don’t care. I don’t care if it’s … Fred Flintstone, Mike Tyson, anybody. I just want to fight this year.
“… Don’t write Wilder out of the equation. He could be fighting me next, who knows? We could have the third trilogy with Wilder yet. Like I say, a lot is going on behind the scenes. Wilder might be next.”
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) hasn’t fought since Feb. 22 of last year, when he knocked out Wilder in seven rounds to win his title. He was expected to face Wilder again, as per a rematch clause, but an agreement wasn’t reached. That issue reportedly remains in arbitration.
He then turned his attention to Joshua, which whom he has been in ongoing talks. One obvious impediment to an agreement has been the COVID-19 pandemic but, as Fury seems to imply, there is more to it than that.
Fury dropped one more interesting tidbit during the interview, announcing that he has no plans to fight again in his native country.
“I won’t ever box here again,” he said. “I’m finished. I’m a superstar of world boxing. I ain’t going to box in a small show somewhere. It’s go to be in the capital of entertainment in the world. My home city is Las Vegas.
“… I intend to stay there and end my career over there.”