Tyson Fury said Wednesday that the proposed heavyweight fight with Anthony Joshua may not happen, casting fresh doubt on a matchup that has already gone through multiple location changes and shifting timelines.
Fury said he was told earlier in the day that travel was being arranged for him to fly back to London for the press conference on Wednesday. About four hours later, he said, he got a phone call telling him people were trying to pull out of the fight.
According to Fury, that pattern has been building for some time. He said he had initially signed to do the fight in Ireland in Croke Park, but the plan has changed more than once. Fury also said the money for the bout had been put up by Turki Alalshikh, along with his broadcasting network and Netflix.
Fury questions whether Joshua wants the fight
Fury did not hide his skepticism about whether the bout will come together. He said he thinks Joshua is looking for a way out and suggested the heavyweight clash has only a 1% chance of happening.
“They’ve been trying to get out of this since they signed it,” Fury said. He also added that if one fighter wants the bout and the other does not, it becomes difficult to make it happen at all.
Fury said, “I’ll even tie concrete blocks to my boots to make this fight happen,” and later described Joshua as a fighter he believes has been trying to avoid the matchup since the deal was signed.
Replacement names and a different path
Fury said he also heard that other big names were being explored as possible replacements, including David Benavidez. He called that option a dangerous one, saying Benavidez would be “about four, five times harder” than Joshua.
Still, Fury made clear he would take that fight too. He said, “There’s not a man on this earth that I won’t fight,” and added that he would never view Joshua as the tougher opponent compared with Benavidez. Fury even predicted Benavidez would stop Joshua in about three rounds.
For now, though, the key question is whether the Fury vs Joshua London press conference leads to a real fight or becomes another false start. Fury’s comments suggest the situation remains unstable, even with money reportedly in place and plans being made around London.
